Medics from Nottingham City Hospital’s Linden Lodge rehabilitation unit staged a practice mass transportation, using staff volunteers, before they move patients to the new National Rehabilitation Centre next year.
They hope to use the converted bus, called a ‘jumbulance’ to transport everyone within a 12-hour period on the same day.
John Shekelton, from The Jumbulance Trust charity, drove the practice route in November and said the converted coach is usually used by the charity to take people with disabilities and illnesses on holiday.
He said his aim was to make the transfer of patients as “stress-free as possible.”
“When you are used to sitting in a chair in a hospital, not used to getting out and about, reassurance is key,” he added.
“Holding someone’s hand can mean the world.”