The RCT Conference Centre was the outstanding venue for the Stroke and Neuro Rehab Study Day 2023. It was the first face to face meeting since the Covid-19 pandemic.
The first speaker of the day was Janet Rockliffe, a stroke survivor, who is a much-appreciated member of the steering committee. Janet spoke about her involvement in the aphasia and accessible voices group and the work they do. This was a timely reminder of how important it is to have patient input when shaping stroke services and resources.
Tracy Thomson, the Lead Stroke Orthoptist from Tayside was the second speaker of the day. Tracy presented on the two tests of change she had completed looking at the impact of increasing primary orthoptic screening on the stroke ward. The tests of change were very positive showing an increase in the number of patients detected as having a visual deficit post stroke. The tests of change also showed positive feedback from patients and stroke multidisciplinary team members.
The final speaker of the first morning session was Dr Claire Howard who presented on Driving and Stroke. Claire discussed her work on adaptation to visual field loss post stroke. She also presented her findings on the characteristics and success rate of patients who went through the DVLA exceptional cases pathway to regain their driving licence with post stroke visual field loss.
Following the morning refreshments Dr Matt Lambert took the stage to present a general overview of stroke. Matt is the Stroke Lead Consultant in Tayside and gave a great presentation on acute stroke, changing treatment options and the interpretation of MRI/ CT scans.
Committee Academic Lead, Dr Lauren Hepworth, followed Matt with an update on research and developments to guidelines for post-stroke visual impairment. Lauren provided a fantastic whistle stop tour of relevant recent research as well as positive changes to guidelines that should be of great benefit to orthoptists.
The morning was brought to a close by Dr Kathleen Vancleef, Assistant Professor in Cognitive Neuroscience who presented on visual perception. This included
an informative and interactive overview, followed by feedback on the work she has been completing on the development of a screening tool for visual perception deficits.
The topic for this year’s study day workshop was the development of a resource/training pack that is to be developed to aid orthoptists that are new to working in the stroke environment. Attendees, fresh from a delicious lunch, were given the opportunity to provide feedback on what they would like to see in such a pack and how they thought the pack should be delivered. The input from delegates was fantastic and will be of great use to the committee when creating this resource for members.
The steering committee would like to say a big thank you to all those that spoke and contributed to a fantastic day. In particular Tracy Thomson who did a fantastic job of organising the event. Thank you, Tracy.
Lastly, this was Dr Lauren Hepworth’s last study day as co-lead of the CAG steering committee as she has completed two terms of office and is due to step down early next year. The committee would like to sincerely thank Lauren for all the hard work and dedication she has put into the committee. She has worked tirelessly for the members, representing BIOS on numerous committees including the UK Stroke Forum conference committee and has been a wonderful ambassador for the CAG. Thank you, Lauren.
