Acquired Brain Injury and Stroke Specialty Programmes

The Brain Injury and Stroke Teams work together with patients and their families and carers to achieve the best possible outcome from the Rehabilitation Programme, which is tailored to meet each patient’s individual needs.

Patients admitted to the Brain Injury and Stroke Programmes at the NRH have typically sustained a complex, acquired, non-progressive neurological disability following:

• Traumatic brain injury
• Stroke
• Brain haemorrhage
• Other neurological conditions

The service offers Interdisciplinary rehabilitation to patients ranging from:

• Patients who remain in the near coma state, minimally conscious state and locked-in syndrome
• Patients with major physical and cognitive disability
• Patients who sustain a disabling initial head injury or a stroke, but recover the potential to return at least in part to their pre-injury role in society.

Show less

Patient care and treatment for the Brain Injury and Stroke Specialty Programmes is delivered by interdisciplinary teams (Medical, Nursing, Health and Social Care Professionals), with clinical responsibility led by Dr Sabrina McAlister (Medical Director for the BI Programme) and Dr Kinley Roberts (Medical Director for the Stroke Specialty Programme)

In addition, Consultants in Rehabilitation Medicine who provide a service to these Programmes include:

• Prof.  Jacinta Morgan
• Dr Raymond Carson
• Dr. Aaisha Khan
• Dr. Paul Carroll

The Brain Injury and Stroke Specialty Programmes are managed by Kate Curtin

The NRH is one of the largest rehabilitation hospitals in Europe. A programme to increase the number of Consultants in Rehabilitation Medicine, in line with International best practice, is being actively pursued.

At the NRH, the Brain Injury and Stroke Specialty services access the full complement of support from:

• Medical
• Nursing and clinical support
• Therapy services
• Patient Services (administration)

Input is also required from Neuropsychiatry, Gastroenterology, Endocrinology,  Ophthalmology, and ENT.

Show less

Follow the links below for more information and to access the full Scopes of Service:

– NRH Brain Injury Programme

– Scope of Service for BI Programme (including Home & Community Based and Vocational) 

– NRH Stroke Specialty Programme  

– Scope of Service for Stroke Specialty Programme

Show less

In addition to referrals from hospitals in which NRH Consultants have sessional commitments, each consultant also receives written referrals from regional hospitals, including Cork University Hospital which, along with Beaumont Hospital, is one of the two major neurosciences centres in Ireland.

While early rehabilitation of patients with acquired complex neuro-disability typically starts in the Neurosciences Unit in Beaumont Hospital and Cork University Hospital, a significant percentage of patients do not require neurosurgical intervention and therefore come directly from the acute hospitals throughout the country.

The NRH attracts referrals involving people who have acquired very severe disability such as Prolonged Disorders of Consciousness (PDoC) state, and is continuing to enhance its skills in providing services to people with severe complex disability within a wide-ranging Interdisciplinary team.

General Practitioner referrals appear to be increasing and this may reflect the advances in rehabilitation services in recent years which can provide benefits to patients who sustained their disability many years ago. However, the pattern of increasing General Practitioner referrals may also reflect a cohort of new patients discharged from acute hospitals who wish to access further specialist rehabilitation at the NRH.

Link to referral criteria and medical Referral Form.

Read more

Show less

Patient and Family Information Leaflets

A range of Patient & Family Information Leaflets are available to download.

Show less