Ashtons Rehab Coordinator secures charitable grant from The Hospital Saturday Fund to support client’s rehabilitation

Ashtons Rehabilitation Coordinator, Amy Rose, has secured a Charitable Grant from The Hospital Saturday Fund Charity to support a client’s Stroke Physiotherapy Rehabilitation.

At Ashtons, the Client Rehabilitation Service (CRS) is a team dedicated to assessing the needs of our injured clients and their families. We work with injured individuals and their families to try and help improve their quality of life whilst the claim is ongoing and whilst the lawyers investigate whether they are likely to become entitled to compensation. We work collaboratively to ensure that clients have access to timely rehabilitation and treatment to optimise their recovery and wellbeing.

Penny Tilmouth, a solicitor within the Medical Negligence team at Ashtons, was instructed by the family of Client A due to the concerns they had regarding whether or not a more timely diagnosis and treatment could have avoided and/or improved his outcome following a stroke. Client A was initially referred to the CRS whilst still in hospital to help support a smooth discharge home and coordinate the services required for his rehabilitation.

Stroke survivors often face the daunting challenge of navigating the healthcare system to receive the crucial rehabilitation they need. During the involvement of the CRS, Client A found himself at a crossroads with limited physiotherapy options and an agonisingly long NHS wait. This article emphasises the importance of early rehabilitation for stroke patients and highlights a successful case where our Rehabilitation Coordinator played a pivotal role in organising timely and tailored physiotherapy.

After a major stroke, Client A received limited support from the local NHS early support discharge team. Upon discharge, he faced the disheartening news of being placed on another physiotherapy waiting list with an anticipated year-long wait. Understandably, this news made Client A upset and anxious about the potential consequences of delayed rehabilitation.

Timely and targeted rehabilitation is crucial for stroke survivors to maximise their recovery. The Stroke Association stresses the importance of early and coordinated interventions, emphasising that rehabilitation should begin as soon as possible after a stroke to maximise recovery. The longer the delay in accessing rehabilitation services, the greater the risk of long-term impairments and diminished quality of life.

Our Rehabilitation Coordinator, Amy Rose, collaborating with the Client and his family, explored alternative physiotherapy options. Given the client’s limited mobility and difficulty accessing community services, the decision was made to seek rehabilitation at home. To make home-based rehabilitation a possibility, Amy actively sought quotations from local, private neurophysiotherapy specialists. The obtained quotations formed the basis of a proposal outlining the client’s requirements and the significance of immediate physiotherapy.

Client A, the breadwinner for his family, was no longer able to work, facing financial constraints. Recognising this, Amy reached out to a charitable organisation called The Hospital Saturday Fund. With the quotations in hand, a letter of support was written to articulate the client’s situation and the critical need for additional physiotherapy. Fortunately, The Hospital Saturday Fund responded positively, awarding £900 to fund 10 sessions of 45-minute physiotherapy sessions at home.

The successful application for charitable funding was welcome news to Client A. While the awarded physiotherapy sessions were limited in number, they served as a crucial bridge, ensuring the client received timely rehabilitation. These sessions not only addressed immediate needs but also laid the groundwork for a smoother transition into NHS physiotherapy services when available.

This case illustrates the challenges stroke survivors can encounter in accessing essential support. The National Stroke Service Model underscores the importance of offering seamless continuity of therapy to patients with ongoing needs and goals. From early supported discharge intervention to lower-intensity community rehabilitation, this integrated approach is designed to ensure smooth and transitioned care.

Unfortunately, Client A’s experience deviated from this model, highlighting the NHS’s struggles with capacity and resources.

These challenges are only likely to intensify with the recent news that the NHS, in accordance with new clinical guidance from the National Institute of Health and Care Excellence (NICE), should now provide stroke patients with a minimum of three hours of rehabilitation per day, five days a week. This is significantly different from the 45 minutes recommended in the previous 2013 guidance. The widening gap between recommended and received therapy further accentuates the pressing challenges within the NHS.

We extend our sincere gratitude to The Hospital Saturday Fund charity for their invaluable support in assisting our client during these challenging circumstances, especially when financial resources are currently unavailable.

• The Hospital Saturday Fund
• Support for stroke survivors: Stroke Association
• Further help finding charitable grants: Turn2us Grants Search.

Contact our medical negligence solicitors today

If you believe we can assist you when pursuing a Medical Negligence claim, please get in contact with us on 0330 191 4835 or fill out our online enquiry form.

Our experienced team of lawyers will be able to offer advice and guide you through every step of the claims process and our in-house rehabilitation coordinators can help to support you through your recovery.