The best working environment for the best results

Proximity takes priority: The Rijndam Rehabilitation Centre lies in the heart of the Dutch city of Rotterdam, offers a comprehensive range of treatments for people with disabilities and has a total of three of its own orthopaedic workshops. All three have been managed until recently by the company De Hoogstraat Orthopedietechniek. Orthopaedic devices can be made to measure and minor fittings undertaken at the two smaller sites – the Centre for Paediatric Rehabilitation and the University Hospital – while all larger jobs are passed on to the main workshop in the heart of the rehabilitation centre.

Fast assistance – on site
At the start of the year, the orthopaedic workshop in the rehabilitation centre underwent a thorough renovation and expansion. All kinds of arm and leg prostheses and orthoses can now be manufactured and fully fitted here. Talking about the multidisciplinary collaboration between rehabilitation doctors, physiotherapists, occupational therapists and orthopaedic technicians, Managing Director Marcel Conradi notes: "The spatial proximity makes it possible to directly cater to individual wishes when looking for the right orthopaedic device.

This is very important, because ultimately, we're here to help as quickly as possible people who have recently undergone an amputation or who are partially paralysed following a stroke. One must bear in mind that these people are in a very difficult phase in their lives, during which they need as much help and support as possible. "The direct connection to the workshop helps here. "It's a major benefit that the orthopaedic workshop is located directly within the rehabilitation centre. We can thus fit people with the right devices even during the rehabilitation phase and better show them how to use them." At the same time, they should feel comfortable on the premises: "We have chosen an especially quiet interior room to perform the orthopaedic technology work with the patient."

Geert-Jan Ruigrok, one of a total of ten members of staff at the workshop, adds, "In order to give the patient a device that is as perfectly designed as possible, we have to know their needs precisely: what was this person doing before their illness? What would they like to do in the future? What exactly are their living conditions? This extends far into the patient’s private life, and these conversations often result in very personal relationships between the technician and patient."

It's the tools that matter
While the focus in the treatment rooms lies on the interests of the patient, the needs of the employees were the first thing taken into account when outfitting the workshop. They, too, should feel at home. "Orthopaedic technology is a very labour-intensive activity. It is important that all technicians have the best materials and can work without disruptions," says Marcel Conradi, explaining his reason for choosing Ottobock Planning and Equipping as a partner. "The experienced consultants were great: always able to think along the same lines as us, to anticipate and react directly to new ideas that arise during a design phase like this." All of the employees in the workshop were involved in the planning, right from the first draft.

Every individual was able to offer his or her ideas on the layout, which ultimately meant that the renovation became a shared project in close collaboration with Ottobock. Above all, the relocation of the workshop reception area to the centre's central reception created a lot of space, which is now used for the technicians.

The best working environment for the best results
The workshop was completely gutted and rebuilt. Chic glass partition walls create an open, accessible impression, although all activities continue to be performed in their specific areas. The layout is well thought-through: the new workshop for casting and laminating is located directly next to the plaster room on the window side – and you can go directly into the machine room from the workshop. The work tables are set up centrally so that the technicians can communicate with each other while they work. This has proved to be so popular that the employees now often even spend their lunch breaks together here.

Work continues during the renovation
Marcel Conradi remembers the hectic time during the renovation: "People were constantly running round, 10 to 15 people were working on different things at the same time. The greatest feat was that everything only took a few weeks – and was unbelievable fun for all of us."

The production process naturally continued during this time: "Ottobock Planning and Equipping more than confirmed its good reputation as a complete supplier and set up a practical emergency workshop for us."