The NRC is the first NHS facility of its sort and aims to transform rehabilitation provisions.
Following a delay to its opening, the NRC is now welcoming patients to its 70-bed centre for those recovering from life-changing illness or injury.
The new rehab centre is run and staffed by Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust (NUH) and co-located with the Defence Medical Rehabilitation Centre (DMRC).
While the NRC primarily serves patients from across the East Midlands, its long-term ambition is to become the national ‘hub’ of a future ‘hub and spoke’ model, with regional rehabilitation units (‘spokes’) established across the country.
This model aims to extend the reach of specialist rehabilitation and enable more patients to benefit from the expertise and services available at the NRC.
Sara Hazzard, CSP assistant director and co chair of the Community Rehabilitation Alliance (CRA), said: ‘I was privileged to visit the centre when it was under construction in September 2025, along with CSP chief executive John Cowman and CSP director Ash James.
'We are thrilled to now see the NRC open its doors. Its innovative facilities, technology and world-class expertise will make a profound difference to the lives of the people it serves.
Physiotherapists will be at the heart of the NRC workforce, helping to drive education, training, research and innovation that adds value to the future shape of the profession and rehabilitation more broadly.
‘This groundbreaking investment is also a step change in recognising the vital role rehabilitation plays in helping people recover from life-changing illness and injury, and in supporting them, their families and loved ones to rebuild their lives.’
Cutting-edge technology
The NRC will lead rehabilitation research and innovation, while providing training and education through an NRC Academy, in collaboration with 26 universities across England.
Miriam Duffy, NRC director and physiotherapist, said: 'This is just the beginning, and the NRC is much more than just a building.
Our aim is to revolutionise rehabilitation across the country so that every NHS patient who suffers a life-changing illness or injury receives the best rehabilitation possible and the best chance to return to living an independent and fulfilling life.
The NRC is home to the NHS’s most comprehensive robotics suite, with cutting-edge technology to support patients to walk again, relearn how to use their hands and rebuild function in specific parts of the body.
It also houses the UK’s first 360-degree partial body-weight support system, Zero G, which works in a similar way to a hoist and enables patients to practise movement safely and independently.
Patients will also have access to the neighbouring DMRC’s state-of-the-art facilities, including a full hydrotherapy suite, advanced gait laboratory, 360-degree immersive virtual reality experience, X-ray and MRI.
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