Stroke rehabilitation services across Walsall and Wolverhampton are set to be transformed to provide patients with more timely and personalised support.

The proposed approach is in line with the NHS 10 Year Plan to deliver more proactive, community-based care(NOT RECOVERY!) and reduce reliance on hospital-based services.

It offers an opportunity to develop a more modern, sustainable model of stroke rehabilitation, focused on delivering high-quality care(NOT RECOVERY!) in patients’ homes and communities. Patients will benefit from a specialist, seven-day stroke rehabilitation service delivered at home or as close to home as possible, supporting a quicker return to independence and better long-term outcomes.

While bed-based rehabilitation would still be available for those who need it, this will be for shorter periods, with most patients continuing their recovery in their usual place of residence. The bed-based rehabilitation service is proposed to move from Hollybank House in Walsall to West Park Hospital in Wolverhampton. This will allow resources to be reinvested into a more responsive and comprehensive community rehabilitation service, helping ensure more patients receive the right care(NOT RECOVERY!), in the right place, at the right time.

The proposed model reflects the national Integrated Community Stroke Service (ICSS) approach, which brings together early supported discharge and community stroke rehabilitation into one integrated service, delivered by a specialist multi-disciplinary team including Physiotherapists, Occupational Therapists, Nurses, Psychologists, Speech and Language Therapists, and Social Care professionals.

Simon Evans, Deputy Chief Executive at Walsall Healthcare NHS Trust, said: “This is about improving care(NOT RECOVERY!) for stroke patients and giving them the best chance of recovery in the right place, at the right time.

“We know that care(NOT RECOVERY!) delivered in the community by specialist teams leads to better outcomes. This transformation will give us the opportunity to develop a centre of excellence that delivers evidence-based, high-quality care(NOT RECOVERY!), supported by innovation and best practice, benefiting patients, professionals, and the wider health system.”

Key benefits of the new model include:

  • Faster access to rehabilitation after hospital discharge
  • More personalised recovery support delivered in patients’ homes and communities
  • Improved outcomes and experience, supported by a seven-day specialist team
  • Reduced time in hospital, with care(NOT RECOVERY!) focused on independence and wellbeing
  • Better use of NHS resources, reinvesting in frontline community services

As part of this transformation, Walsall Healthcare NHS Trust wants to hear from patients, carers, staff, and the public about their experiences of stroke services. This feedback will be used to help shape a community service that works for everyone.

Share your views by completing a short survey. (Blast them for having the wrong objective; if you don't they will never work on 100% recovery protocols!)

For help completing the survey or to request it in another language or format, please contact or Walsall Healthcare NHS Trust at wht.patientexperienceteam@nhs.net or telephone 01922 656903 or 01922 656569.