FROM THE CHAIR

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The stroke and neurology team

Last month I had the privilege of spending some time with colleagues in the stroke and neurology service.

This type of service is an excellent example of a patient journey that affects the entire system, from acute admission right through to rehabilitation in the community ensuring our patients and their families are aware of the services and support available as they continue their recovery.

When our patients are seen at many touchpoints of the care we provide, it is vital that the flow works properly.

I was impressed by how the team have reviewed their service to ensure better care for patients. Sarah Clarke, Clinical Nurse Lead and Clair Finnemore, Therapy Lead attended the Board meeting in January to explain just how they are doing that.

By working together as a multidisciplinary team (MDT), they were able to address issues that had been raised about the quality of the service including concerns such as, ineffective communication and poor documentation of care given to patients.

The MDT ensured they had patient representation to help them put together an action plan based on our fundamentals of care framework with a focus on 24-hour rehab which is essential as we prepare to move to Midland Met next year.

This approach to codesign the service maximised patient safety and enabled every contact to be meaningful for rehabilitation. MDT integration has resulted in our patients receiving an improved level of care based on their individual needs.

I have mentioned this before in previous columns; however, I cannot stress enough how essential it is to get the fundamentals