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24 hours of stroke rehabilitation

Patients in hospital gym doing chair based exercises

Stroke patients at Newham Hospital are benefitting from round-the-clock rehabilitation thanks to an award-winning programme of activities.

The programme, which won at our annual WeImprove Awards, centres around improving the care and experience of our stroke patients through a host of activities – from morning breakfast clubs, to aerobic exercise classes and individual goal-setting sessions.

Patient cooking breakfast

Recovery from a stroke can take weeks, months, or even years, and each person's recovery time is different. The first months after a stroke are considered the most important for recovery, which is usually when they are in hospital.

That’s why it’s important that rehabilitation activities are varied and meet the needs of our patients. The improvement project was launched in response to a local audit carried out by the therapy team that revealed stroke patients were spending most of their waking hours inactive and in bed, which negatively impacted their recovery outcomes, mood, and overall wellbeing.

Heather Ward team

Recognising the need for a paradigm shift, clinical lead Asif Patel set out to transform the recovery process by adopting a comprehensive, 24-hour rehabilitation ethos. To do this, he and the team worked directly with patients and staff to design a dynamic programme of activities to help patients recover.

The aim was to enhance patient engagement and activity levels on the stroke unit, thereby reducing feelings of anxiety,depression, promoting overall wellbeing as well as improving patient outcomes and reducing overall length of stay in hospital.

Asif said: 

‘We couldn’t deliver this ambitious programme without collaboration with patients, carers and the entire multi-disciplinary team on Heather Ward. We ran workshops to co-design the activities, which fostered a sense of community and enhanced the project's impact on the ward. 

We’re always striving to improve, but the feedback we’ve had so far has been brilliant and I look forward to introducing more initiatives like this for the benefit of our patients.’

Asif was also nominated for his work by a patient earlier this year, who said:

“Thank you so much for the services you provide for many people who have lost hope and for the reassurance that they can get their life back on track. You have been my motivation from the beginning of my recovery journey. I believe I can get my life back on track with your push and kind words.”

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