Disability charity Queen Elizabeth’s Foundation for Disabled People (QEF) has announced a new partnership with the Stroke Association in Surrey for clients of their Care and Rehabilitation Centre. The partnership will see stroke clients on the East Surrey NHS stroke pathway receive one to one support with their transition home, helping to reduce anxiety and increase connections with their local community services.
Returning home after a life changing event such as a stroke can be a daunting time for an individual and their family. A person may be left with acquired disabilities which fundamentally change their life and what they are able to do, some of which may be hidden and hard to explain to loved ones and friends.
The expert teams at QEF’s Care and Rehabilitation Centre support people straight from hospital with neuro rehabilitation and nursing care to recover as many core skills as possible. This often includes regaining the use of limbs affected by the stroke – often down one side of the body, possibly learning to walk again and regaining the ability to swallow safely, speak and communicate with others. Their neuro rehabilitation team include physiotherapists, speech and language and occupational therapists, as well as clinical psychologists.
The psychologists at QEF’s Care and Rehabilitation Centre work with a stroke patient and their family or care giver to help people adjust to the changes in all their lives and find a new way forward. This new partnership with the Stroke Association will be an important part of supporting people to find this new way forward.
As part of the NHS Stroke Pathway, people referred to QEF from East Surrey Hospital will meet with a Stroke Association Coordinator on a one-to-one basis prior to their discharge home. The aim is to ease the anxiety and stress over discharge for both the individual and their carers/ family members, as well as opening important channels of communication. Support from the Stroke Association will then continue for up to a year post discharge to help people adapt to their new normal and achieve their personal goals.
Jenny de Canha, Head of Clinical Services at QEF says; “I am looking forward to seeing this new partnership in action as I know our clients on the East Surrey stroke pathway are going to really benefit from this extra level of support. Easing anxieties around the transition home is so important and connection with their community services will enable people to continue their rehabilitation after leaving QEF.”
Tara Lakin, Stroke Association’s Service Delivery Lead for the South East says; “We are delighted to be working with the team at QEF’s Care and Rehabilitation Centre, helping people to plan for their discharge home and reducing the anxiety that often comes with this. We have a contract to support people across Surrey as part of the NHS stroke pathway and we work closely with acute centres such as QEF and the relevant community teams.”
More information on the services available at QEF’s Care and Rehabilitation Centre is available here or contact neurorehab@qef.org.uk. More information on the Stroke Association’s services in Surrey is available here
