The Marillac Neurological Care Centre in Warley is a quietly dignified building overlooking woods and the former Ford HQ. The current site, the former Officers’ Mess at Warley Barracks, was opened in 1963 by the Sisters of the Daughters of Charity to care for young people with physical and neurological conditions. Until quite recently the average length of stay at the Marillac was 16 years with some residents living there for much of their lives.
In the last five years the youngest of the Sisters have retired and the Marillac is run as a not-for profit charitable organisation with 52 beds available for rehabilitation after acute trauma, from strokes to severe allergic reactions to car accidents.
I visited the Marillac’s Chief Executive, Paul Dixon, and Chairman, Peter Nicol, in Warley last week to look at the amazing facilities the centre offers. Patients arrive from hospital having suffered life changing injuries, and are helped by a team of physiotherapists, occupational therapists, and speech and language therapists to make the best possible start to their recovery.
Paul and Peter run a tight financial ship – those coming to Marillac need high levels of nursing and therapy – but like many care home facilities, the centre has been significantly affected by the rise in energy costs in the last year, with bills tripling. The Government is offering some support through its Energy Bill Relief Scheme which will provide a price reduction to ensure that all businesses and other non-domestic customers, including care homes, are protected from excessively high energy bills over the winter. This is replaced in April by the Energy Bill Discount Scheme (EBDS) will run until March 2024. However, although the Marillac is of a size which will weather the storm, there is concern smaller local care homes will struggle more.
At a time when the need for beds in our local acute hospitals is at a premium, the facilities offered by the Marillac, which allow the discharge of those who need intensive rehabilitation following a traumatic injury but not acute care, are extremely helpful. The Marillac and its staff are well known and loved in Brentwood, and offer a sanctuary of recovery for those whose lives have been changed unexpectedly out of all recognition.
