Michelle Russell

Michelle Russell - Specialist Speech and Language Therapist, Community Stroke Rehabilitation, East Sussex Health Care NHS

Say aphasia has been an instrumental component of the stroke pathway services at ESHT in a multitude of ways:

• As a pathway, we have limitations regarding the duration and frequency we are able to see patients due to issues around capacity and demand. Say Aphasia allows individuals to meet to share their stories in a range of methods; online, face to face groups and more recently visiting our acute patients on the stroke wards.

• There is often reduced SLT capacity in the hospital, resulting in little input for communication needs and thus supports a closer step to meeting SSNAP stroke guidelines.

• There are few appropriate psychological services available to support patients specifically post stroke and this charity has been fundamental in offering a support network where they provide ongoing long term wellbeing support which we are unfortunately unable to facilitate as a service despite stroke being recognised as a long-term disability and change to people’s lives. Since the Stroke Association’s massive budget cuts, this has been a gaping hole we as a service have struggled to solve and so Say Aphasia’s support has been most welcome.

• Say Aphasia has supported the stroke pathway to act on patient feedback and personalised care training in helping us to provide this peer support from the beginning in the acute stroke wards, supporting patients at the start of their very vulnerable and often scary journey. Research has indicated that the more we can empower our patients and increase their confidence, the more likely they are to feel ready for discharge home and make more positive gains in terms of their rehab which Say Aphasia’s efforts are very much in line with.

• There was nothing in the Hastings and Rother area for stroke survivors with aphasia regarding psychosocial support and Say Aphasia have helped to fill this void with supporting to setup a group for this very purpose.

• By these services remaining free, it has supported an equitable service for our patients rather than it being down to either a postcode lottery or down to individuals to fund their input which is of particular importance with those patients of a working age who may not be able to return to work and/or those from deprived backgrounds who maybe reliant on benefits and having to prioritise the essentials.

 

back to Charity Impact