The South Yorkshire Integrated Stroke Delivery Network (SY ISDN) attended the annual UK Stroke Forum took place this year in Liverpool, from Tuesday 29 November to Thursday 1 December 2022, hosted by the Stroke Association and the British & Irish Association of Stroke Physicians.

The three-day conference is the UK’s largest multidisciplinary event for stroke care professionals, working across the whole pathway. The conference aims to provide opportunities for all stroke professionals and researchers to come together so they can learn from each other, share ideas and ultimately improve standards of care for stroke survivors.

Jaimie Shepherd, South Yorkshire Integrated Stroke Delivery Network Lead, presented as a speaker alongside Dr David Hargroves, NHS National Specialist Adviser and GRIFT Clinical Lead and Jonathan Milnes, Consultant Paramedic from Yorkshire Ambulance Service NHS Trust. Jaimie and Jonathan presented about early learning on ambulance clinician engagement from the Stroke Pre Hospital Video Triage Pilot in South Yorkshire, which is also being piloted in seven other regions around the UK. The session highlighted the key milestones and outcomes the video triage has produced so far, touching on how this pilot has improved the pre-hospital aspect of the stroke pathway.

Gemma Hayden, Workforce and Clinical Lead, SY ISDN, Jane Douthwaite, Engagement Co-Ordinator, SY ISDN and Alice Pennock, Communications Officer at NHS South Yorkshire presented an e-poster on the South Yorkshire Stroke Survivor and Carer Panel, titled ‘Power of the Patient Voice’. The poster highlighted the important work the Panel completes and how panel members are involved in funding proposals, videos, developing communication methods and development of the SY ISDN work programme priorities.

Our partners across South Yorkshire were also presenting at the forum.

  • Doncaster and Bassetlaw Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust’s Stroke Therapy Team presented an e-poster around the development of a multidisciplinary stroke therapy outcome measure, showcasing the results they have achieved so far.
  • Sophie Moore, Senior Lecture, presented an e-poster titled ‘Audit of the mechanical thrombectomy service for acute ischaemic stroke at Sheffield Teaching Hospitals’.
  • Kirsty Harkness, Consultant Neurologist presented two e-posters titled ‘Feasibility of automated longitudinal cognitive and mood assessment in stroke pathway’ and ‘Cavernomas A Randomised Effectiveness (CARE) pilot trial, to address the effectiveness of surgical treatment (with neurosurgery or stereotactic radiosurgery) versus treatment without surgery in people with symptomatic brain cavernoma’.
  • Professor Arshad Majid from The University of Sheffield presented in the closing plenary on the ‘Vagal nerve stimulation to improve limb function after stroke’.

More information about the Stroke Video Triage Pilot can be found here.