Celebrating the Bedfordshire Neuro Therapy Team this Stroke Awareness Month
We’re shining a spotlight on some of the amazing services that make up our new Trust. Last week we highlighted the work of the iCaSH service, and this week we’re focussing on the Bedfordshire Neuro Therapy Service to coincide with Stroke Awareness Month.
100,000 people have strokes each year and there are 1.4 million stroke survivors in the UK. Stroke is a type of cerebrovascular disease, which is one of the leading causes of death in the UK. Stroke accounts for roughly 75% of deaths from cerebrovascular diseases.
The Bedfordshire Neuro Therapy Service provides specialist, home‑based rehabilitation for stroke survivors across Bedfordshire, supporting recovery from hospital to home and beyond.
About the Bedfordshire Neuro Therapy Team
Our services help people who have long term neurological conditions, or strokes who require a specialist rehabilitation program in a community setting.
For stroke patients, we deliver a seamless pathway of care for up to six months post‑stroke, ensuring patients receive the right therapy, at the right time, in the right place. This is a Home-First service, providing intensive therapy support at patients’ homes based on their clinical need. Stroke survivors discharged from the hospital are followed up in the community within one working day.
The team provides:
- Goal‑focused rehabilitation with emphasis on self‑management and independence.
- Flexible therapy: face‑to‑face visits or video consultations depending on patient need.
- Seamless pathway for all stroke survivors. Whether patients go straight home from hospital or spend time in inpatient rehabilitation, they are picked up by our team on discharge and receive the same Early Supported Discharge (ESD) equivalent pathway.
- Support for families and carers, empowering them with education and strategies
- They collaborate with acute stroke units, GPs, social care and voluntary sector organisations
- Provide a 6‑month post‑stroke review, ensuring long‑term needs are identified early and patients are re‑referred or signposted appropriately.
- For stroke survivors who are not yet able to return home safely, our Neuro Navigators helps patients get ready to live more independently, supporting them with the transition from inpatient unit to home.
Alongside our stroke and Early Supported Discharge pathways, our service also provides specialist rehabilitation and clinical coordination for adults with complex Acquired Brain Injury (ABI) and a wide range of long‑term neurological conditions.
We operate out of three locations - Flitwick, Kempston, and Luton - so we can support patients across the whole of the county of Bedforrshire. Our teams include Occupational Therapists, Physiotherapists, Speech & Language Therapists, Psychologists and Assistant Practitioners, all working together as a coordinated multidisciplinary team (MDT).
Neuro Navigators
North team, based at Kempston Clinic
Mid team, based in Flitwick
Secondary Stroke Prevention: Supporting patients to stay well
As part of our stroke pathway, we provide secondary stroke prevention advice throughout the patient’s rehabilitation journey and again at their 6‑month stroke review. Our aim is to empower stroke survivors with the knowledge and confidence to reduce their risk of another stroke.
Did you know that:
- Stroke can happen at any age.
- 1 in 6 people will have a stroke in their lifetime.
- Over a third of first‑time strokes occur in middle‑aged adults.
- Up to 80% of clot‑related strokes are preventable.
We provide clear, practical advice on how everyday choices influence stroke risk, including:
- Smoking, which doubles the risk of stroke.
- Alcohol intake, which raises blood pressure and contributes to weight gain.
- Low physical activity, which increases cardiovascular risk.
We reinforce that it is never too late to make positive lifestyle changes. Small, sustained steps can significantly reduce the risk of another stroke - and by raising awareness, patients can help protect others too.
Neuro Rehab Book Club
One of the creative ways our service helps support stroke patients is through our regular book clubs at Flitwick and Dunstable libraries in Bedfordshire.
The book club has been running for a few years and welcomes stroke survivors with communication and/or reading difficulties. For many people with speech and language difficulties post-stroke, returning to reading or talking to others can bring significant challenges. The book clubs are a safe space for people to share their experiences, tips and tricks and restart their return to reading in a friendly and supportive way. The groups are well-attended and really support people to find ways to have conversations and express their opinions about all sorts of topics as well as discovering a wide range of books.
The Neuro Rehab Book Club joined forces with the Stroke Association for its Make May Purple campaign on 8 May at Flitwick Library. At the event, the group wore something purple and joined in with taking some happy snaps. Next time, we’ll be arranging a quiz on behalf of the Stroke Association.
What our patients say
We’d like to finish by sharing a couple of quotes from our patients, to demonstrate the impact the Bedfordshire Neuro Therapy Team has made on their recovery…
“I was seen by one of your assistant practitioners and she was very helpful… I am now walking over 2000 steps a day outside on my own and I did not think I would have the confidence to do that again. Thank you, I will miss seeing her.”
“She was so kind, helpful, and encouraging at a time when I was feeling very vulnerable after my stroke. Thank you so much for making my recovery so much easier!”
“I would like to take this opportunity to thank you and every single member of your incredible team for the care, commitment, dedication, and professionalism that has been shown toward me, ever since my recovery began.”
Pete Reeve, Service Director Adult Services Luton, summed up the work of the service following their recent staff survey results.
“The staff survey results from the Bedfordshire Neuro Team have been consistently outstanding and are amongst the best in the country. This is reflective of the culture that has been developed throughout the team which goes on to present itself in outstanding patient.”
You can find out more about the Bedfordshire Neuro Therapy Team by clicking on this link.
