Stroke Bridging Service improves patients’ quality of life
The Stroke Bridging Project is an exciting new service which has been funded for one year by NHS England to improve Community Stroke Rehabilitation Services in Buckinghamshire. Prior to the project, patients were waiting up to four months for continued stroke rehabilitation following Early Supported Discharge (ESD). The project aims to ‘bridge the gap’ between the Early Supported Discharge team and the Community Neuro Rehabilitation Service (CNRS) and reduce therapy waiting times.
The Bridging Service offers a further six weeks of therapy to patients who have been identified by the ESD therapists as needing an onward referral to CNRS.
Once a referral has been accepted, patients are assessed by the therapists and given an individualised therapy plan according to their needs. The plan is developed according to what is important to the patient and what they would like to achieve. This is then handed over to the rehabilitation assistants, who deliver the plans with the patients in their own home or in the community. Supervision and guidance are offered to the rehabilitation assistants and plans are reviewed and adapted as necessary by the therapists.
The project started in April 2024 and finishes in March 2025. During these first 8 months the Stroke Bridging Service has seen excellent results!
- 78% of patients improved on their Stroke Quality of Life Score and on their Stroke Recovery Scale (beginning of Bridging Service and end of Bridging Service).
- 58.5% of patients no longer need a referral to CNRS.
- The waiting time between ESD and CNRS has halved from 20 weeks to 10 weeks due to the funding of the Bridging Service.
- We have developed a group education session that meets twice a month called ‘Rebuilding Lives Together’.
- 64.8% of patients (of working age and previously worked) have returned to work.
- Therapists have worked in close collaboration to achieve these results.
- We are recording patient videos to promote the success of the service and for patients to tell their stories.
One patient said: ‘I genuinely think the service was excellent. The team were amazing, and I am very grateful for their efforts’.