‘My eyes are swollen from my head’

Mr. Trout spent several weeks in the major trauma ward before being transferred to Linden Lodge at City Hospital.

For seven weeks, the occupational therapist (OT) team worked to help Mr. Trout relearn basic skills or adapt tasks.

This included accompanying her on the bus, going to a shop, choosing ingredients for the meal on a £5 budget, and then cooking at Linden Lodge.

He said: “They were amazing. I still have days where I’m blurry and exhausted, but my life wouldn’t be what it is today if it wasn’t for overtime.

“They taught me how to deal with what I have and how to manage it.”

Anna Marshall, senior rehabilitation therapist at Nottingham University Hospitals (NUH) Trust, said: “When exercise professionals talk about ‘professions’ we don’t just mean employment or jobs, we mean the daily tasks and life roles that add meaning and purpose to our patients’ lives.”

“This could be as simple as brushing their teeth, getting dressed, making themselves a hot drink, or leaving the house to go back to work, pick up hobbies, or meet a friend while they recover.”

Next summer the rehabilitation unit will move from Linden Lodge to the National Rehabilitation Center near Loughborough.