Assessment car for rehabilitation patients

The solution

Several cars were examined at GM Woodgate & Sons, who agreed to help with the hospital request.

A mini was selected as the best option.

The breakers cut up the car to leave just the passenger seat, passenger door, and sufficient surrounding bodywork to maintain the strength and integrity of these parts.

Inevitably, many sharp metal edges remained after the cutting operation.

The car was therefore, transported from the breakers to the Remap engineer’s workshop.

Surplus piping and wiring was removed from the car, and unsightly areas were covered with plywood and sheet aluminium. A wooden frame was built to support the roof of the car where it had been cut, and the sharp metal edges of the roof were covered by aluminium strips riveted to the roof and screwed to the wooden frame. Great care was taken to ensure that no sharp edges remained exposed anywhere on the car.

Finally, the new wood and aluminium parts were painted to match the colour of the car as closely as practicable and moved to Canterbury hospital to be used.

The benefit

Patients will be able to use the assessment car to support their rehabilitation.

The Neuro team at the hospital were delighted with the work and has given a very positive feedback:

‘Ron and his colleagues have done an amazing job in making the assessment car for us. It will be well used and is really important for our patients who have had strokes, spinal injury, or other types of brain injury […] Many of these patients are with us for some time and the realisation that they will be able to get out with their family in the family car at the weekend or when they return home is so important to them in their recovery. Thank you, an amazing job very well done.’

The Neuro team have also offered to make Remap their Christmas charity.