NICRN Stroke Team Attend UK Stroke Forum 2024
January 7, 2025
Five of the NICRN Stroke Research Co-ordinators from various Trusts had the opportunity to attend the UK Stroke Forum 2024 in Liverpool 3-5th December 2024 – Clare McGoldrick from the NHSCT, Denise Cosgrove and Denise McFarland from the SHSCT, Érin Collins from BHSCT and Vicki Adell from SEHSCT.
It was a 3-day conference full of interesting talks on the latest developments, education and research in the area of Stroke care. They had the opportunity to meet with central Stroke trial teams from various other UK hospitals, visit stands, watch demonstrations of new devices, and listen to talks on ongoing or upcoming research trials. Some of these trials have already been adopted by the NICRN and open to recruitment in Northern Ireland’s acute hospitals while other trials are in the set up phase – Altnagelvin Area Hospital, Antrim Area Hospital, Craigavon Area Hospital, Royal Victoria Hospital, South West Acute Hospital and the Ulster Hospital.
The Stroke Research Co-ordinators learned so much in relation to Stroke care such as capacity assessment & supported decision making for stroke survivors, ways to reduce the risk of secondary stroke, sleep and fatigue management after stroke, meeting the needs of young stroke survivors, women’s health in stroke and the use of data to drive quality improvements. Becoming more familiar in all areas of a patient’s journey will enable Research Co-ordinators to offer a more comprehensive research service for recruited patients.
The Stroke Research Co-ordinators agreed ‘It was great to see how Stroke survivors both in the acute and post-acute phases of their stroke can benefit from ongoing research in the area of Stroke care’.