Monday 29 February 2016. A unique 'Life after Stroke' workshop for stroke survivors and their families/carers has been shortlisted for a second national award.
The workshop was created by CSH Surrey's Stroke Specialist Nurse, Erika Frohlick, who has been named a finalist in the Community Nursing category of the 2016 RCNi Nurse Awards (previously the Nursing Standard Nurse Awards), which recognise and celebrate nurse innovators.
Erika Frohlick felt compelled to act after listening to stroke survivors, relatives and caregivers raise the same questions and concerns following supported discharge (where medically-fit patients return home with intensive nursing/therapy input). Erika involved colleagues from the wider multi-disciplinary neuro-rehabilitation service in designing and delivering her bespoke ‘Life after Stroke’ workshops, with the aim of improving the care and service received by stroke survivors and their families.
Involving patients/families to ensure the workshops meet their needs has been critical. As a result, the workshops have evolved from 20-minute education sessions into two, 2 hour workshops. Attendees report feeling better supported and empowered to deal with life after stroke following the workshops, which now form a core part of CSH Surrey’s stroke service. In 2014 the workshops were recognised by the NHS South East Coast Clinical Senate as an example of best practice stroke care.
The winner of the Community Nursing category will be announced at the RCNi Nurse Awards in London on Friday 6th May 2016.
In December 2015, the 'Life after Stroke' workshops made it through to the finals in the ‘Support for Caregivers, Friends and Family’ category of the Patient Experience Network (PEN) National Awards 2015. The winners will be announced at the PEN Awards Finals and Conference in Birmingham on Wednesday 2nd March 2016. The workshops were also named 'Runner up' in the ‘Patient Champion’ category of the regional Kent, Surrey and Sussex NHS Leadership Awards in November 2015.