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About our charity and what we stand for
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How our charity funded Stroke Research Nurse is delivering new trials in Gloucestershire
Thanks to a kind donation, a new charity role is helping to deliver new and innovative research trials for local stroke patients.
One in six people will experience a stroke in their lifetime and the specialist team at our Trust treat around 1,000 local patients every year. Identifying through research the most effective course of treatment and rehabilitation for stroke patients can have a life changing impact.
The new charity role will provide dedicated support for staff coordinating stroke research studies in our Trust and Reggie Gray was recently appointed to the post. “I am really embracing my new position and find it so rewarding. Being able to meet with patients every day, working as part of a fantastic team and seeing the transformation it can make for local people is just incredible.”
“As a Stroke Research Nurse, I work alongside ward staff to talk to patients and their families about the trial opportunities available to them. It is really important to work at a pace that patients are comfortable with, giving them the space to ask questions about the research before they make a decision on participating. After a stroke a patient may have problems with their speech or vision, so it is really important that I am able to take the time to sit and talk to them.”
“At the moment our research is focused on the care and rehabilitation of patients; helping to give them the best possible future after surviving a stroke. This new role means we can offer more opportunities, such as medicine, therapy and genetic trials, for the majority of our patients.”
Pauline Brown, Lead Research Nurse, said, “Through this new role we can make a bigger impact for stroke patients in Gloucestershire. By offering them the opportunity to take part in new research trials that otherwise would not be available we can offer a real benefit to their lives, as well as their loved ones and families. Even when patients do not directly benefit from taking part in in a research study, their participation is vital for the development of new treatments and care for future stroke survivors.”
“Having a dedicated person to support the team has been fantastic and helps staff to prioritise the care they need to give to other patients on the ward. It has also encouraged us to develop a research culture within the team, everyone is always interested in what Reggie is working on and what trials are available.”
Thank you to everyone who makes a donation to support new and innovative research and trials at our hospitals.
Making hospital life better
