The East Midlands ISDN was pleased to welcome over 100 visitors to our 2nd stroke rehabilitation conference in April, supported by Innerva, Social-ability, Reneural, Gripable, Rosemont Pharmaceuticals, Stroke Association and Different Strokes.

The opening speech was delivered by Rebecca Fisher, followed by a powerful panel discussion featuring individuals with lived experience of stroke at a younger, working age. Their personal stories offered valuable insights into the recovery journey and highlighted key opportunities for improving care and support. The event then heard from a range of speakers from across the country. Topics discussed included the introduction of a younger person stroke pathway, vision assessment, neuropsychology, the role of ACPs in stroke rehabilitation, specialist seating and spasticity management. Finally, in recognition of the tremendous pressure on clinicians and therapists in the NHS, Doug Youngson from the Stroke Association shared with us some great tips on how to find the time to rest when there are so many demands upon us.

Speaking after the event, Vicky – stroke survivor and founder of the Stroke2Strength support group - said “We all loved having the chance to be listened to which is something we feel we haven’t had a chance to do on our journeys”, reminding us that everything we do in developing stroke services serves one purpose only – the patient.