BE MoRe: Exploring the Benefits and Expectations of the 6MR

  • Research type

    Research Study

  • Full title

    Exploring the Benefits and Expectations of the 6 Month Review for Stroke Survivors: A multiple case study approach

  • IRAS ID

    333555

  • Contact name

    Richard Holmes

  • Contact email

    r.j.holmes@lancaster.ac.uk

  • Sponsor organisation

    Lancaster University

  • Duration of Study in the UK

    1 years, 6 months, 30 days

  • Research summary

    In the UK, stroke affects 100,000 people a year and by 2035 it is expected that there will be 2.1 million stroke survivors in our society. A large number of stroke survivors have long-term problems that aren’t helped by current services (for example: difficulty walking, depression, eyesight problems, and difficulty gaining employment). Living with these effects is known to significantly impact their quality of life and can lead to other problems in later life. Unfortunately, some of these effects can’t be fixed, but some could be removed or improved with the right help. The six-month review for stroke survivors was put in place to address this by identifying these problems and then directing patients to the appropriate support. However, there are large variations in how the review is conducted across the country and in some areas it doesn’t happen at all.

    The aim of this research is to understand if and how the six-month review is supporting stroke survivors and their carers, and if not, then what should be done differently to improve this aspect of care.

    To explore this we will look at 3 services in greater depth. These services will include different providers of the service (an acute NHS Trust, a community NHS Trust, and a charitable organisation). We will spend time at each service, observing how the service is run and interviewing the staff who work there. We will also interview patients and their carers to understand what they feel the purpose of the six-month review is, and whether they found it helpful or not. This information will be used to look at the differences and similarities between different providers of this service. In turn, this will help us to develop what works well in different situations so that suggestions can be made to improve future services.

  • REC name

    Wales REC 7

  • REC reference

    24/WA/0059

  • Date of REC Opinion

    4 Mar 2024

  • REC opinion

    Favourable Opinion