South Eastern HSC Trust Brain Injury Team Showcased Work at Worldwide Event
The Community Brain Injury Rehabilitation Team within the South Eastern Health & Social Care Trust recently presented their award winning work.
Th epresentation was on ‘Keeping the Person at the Centre in a Virtual World – Transformation of Community Brain Injury Rehabilitation Post COVID 19’ at the 12th World Congress for Neurorehabilitation in Vienna.
The Team previously won the NI Government Award for Reform and Rebuild of HSC Services Post COVID-19 at the Advancing Health Care Awards in 2022 and following on from their success at the Awards,
Advanced Clinical Specialist Occupational Therapist, Jill Holden-Downes, Advanced Clinical Specialist Occupational Therapist, Romayne Orr and Clinical Lead Speech and Language Therapist, Alison Keys were asked to present at the prestigious Congress event.
The team’s work involved utilising digital resources to continue the delivery of rehabilitation since the beginning of the COVID-19 Pandemic, they sought to ensure virtual interventions were person-centred, individualised and therapeutic for their service users.
Following feedback from service users and carers, a range of virtual interventions addressing issues such as fatigue, memory and communication difficulties post brain injury were produced and delivered.
The use of a virtual platform has enabled them to deliver a personalised service which has resulted in rapid access to specialist support with no waiting list for intervention.
This guarantees service users access to the right treatment in a timely manner. Vulnerable service users have been able to remain in a safe familiar environment while health deterioration has been prevented.
Feedback from individuals and carers has revealed that there has a reduction in the feeling of isolation and their service users also expressed that they felt valued and supported.
Commenting on the event, Jill Holden-Downes said: “This was an amazing opportunity to learn from leading experts in the field of Neuroscience and Neurorehabilitation.
‘And it also showcased the innovative work being carried out across the South Eastern Trust on the world stage, putting Northern Ireland healthcare well and truly on the map!”
The World Congress for Neurorehabilitation is an international expert forum for the presentation and discussion of new research focusing on interdisciplinary aspects as well as current and future concepts of Neurorehabilitation.
The event was hosted by the World Federation for NeuroRehabilitation (WFNR), with the aim of promoting global neurological education and training, with participants attending from all over the world.
