New service to improve support for Worcestershire’s stroke survivors
Funding has been agreed to develop a new service in Worcestershire to enhance the care provided to people recovering from a stroke.
It will be part of the Worcestershire Community Stroke Service which is provided by the Trust, after securing funding from NHS England’s Stroke Quality Improvement in Rehabilitation (SQuIRe) project.
The national SQuIRe programme seeks to improve the quality of community-based stroke care by improving clinical outcomes and patient experience.
The funding will help develop a new team to run a rehabilitation service as part of the Community Stroke Service, which is more inclusive of stroke survivors who require social care support. It will include a physiotherapist, occupational therapist, rehabilitation assistant, speech and language therapist and a project manager to oversee it.
It aims to:
- Improve quality of life for this cohort of stroke survivors by improving their independence and better managing any post stroke complications or symptoms, such as sensory, motor impairment, language, and cognitive deficits.
- Reduce care needs by increasing independence.
- Reduce hospital readmissions due to the secondary complications of stroke, as a consequence of better management for complex and longer-term needs.
- Build relationships with care homes and Care agencies across Worcestershire, for more collaborative working for stroke survivors within social care.
- Build relationships with families and support them as they learn to support their relative.
Deborah Taylor, Advanced Physiotherapy Practitioner said: "This is a huge boost to Worcestershire Community Stroke services. It will enable us to improve support and rehabilitation opportunities to those most severely impaired by stroke and who require social care support day to day. It also helps us build a well evidenced case for further investment into Community Stroke Services so the rehabilitation needs of all stroke survivors can be met."
Further to the investment for staffing, the team have also received funding for two specialist chairs which can be used by people who live in a care home who are recovering from a stroke.
If you are interested in applying to join the Worcestershire Community Stroke Team as part of the exciting SQuIRe Stroke Pathway development project, please visit NHS jobs.