UK Stroke Prevention Day Stand in RVH Foyer
February 11, 2025
The NICRN Stroke Team took the opportunity of the official UK Stroke Prevention Day on the 30th of January to team up with their BHSCT colleagues within stroke services to raise awareness around stroke prevention research. It was a good time of year to try to support people especially with many people trying to improve their lifestyle in the New Year, and with particular focus on high blood pressure management for the Stroke Prevention day.
The BHSCT Stroke Research Nurse Érin Collins teamed up with the BHSCT Stroke Ward Educator Maria Kinnaird to put a stand in the RVH foyer to create awareness about stroke lifestyle risk factors.
We contacted the Stroke Association and Northern Ireland Chest, Heart and Stroke (NICHS) for support and they kindly provided brochures on the lifestyle risk factors for stroke, other promotional materials and giveaways. We contacted the Health Improvement Team for the BHSCT and they were very keen to get involved – we had a stand from the Public Health Dietetics and it was great that Eithne Currie and a Masters Dietetics student Orla Curtis-Davies were there to answer any diet related questions. Also from the Health Improvement Team was Fiona McCabe, the Stop Smoking Specialist who had lots of information for those wishing to stop smoking or vaping, and had very good props to show the harm that smoking does to ours bodies. The Clinical Director of Stroke Consultant Dr.Patricia Gordon paid a visit, also Stroke Consultant Dr. Ivan Wiggam, Stroke Ward Pharmacist Victoria Banks could help answer questions some of the public had about medications, 2 Interventional Radiologist Consultants had time to stop and show support, and the Director of NICRN Jonathan Jackson and NICRN Senior Manager Paul Biagioni and NICRN Staff Manager Michael McAlinden were also there to show their support. Thanks to the NICRN Stroke Admin team Andrew Sloane and Dermot Ryder who helped to prepare the stand and materials. It was an amalgamation of staff from varied roles and organisations coming together to try to prevent Strokes in our society and to create awareness around the care and research involved in helping patients through their stroke journey.
Patients, families and staff came to the stand and asked questions, took information home pertinent to their or their loved ones needs, and were grateful for the opportunity to avail of the information relating to lifestyle risk factors associated with Stroke. Some people had a personal story to tell, a previous health scare and were going to try to make changes for a healthier future.
The day was seen as a successful day and NICRN plans to repeat this in the following years and also at a mid-year interval. The information was shared across appropriate Stroke media sites and on the RVH hospital Loop system.
Stroke Research Clinical Lead Dr Jim McIlmoyle commented:
World Stroke Day provided a great opportunity to raise awareness of vascular health. There were a number of stands in the RVH foyer giving advice on e.g. healthy eating, exercise, blood pressure and smoking cessation. Érin, stroke research nurse, attended to showcase the research studies presently active on the stroke unit. There was much interest from members of the public and the whole event was a great success – well done to all involved.