It’s a tough reality that many of those who have had a stroke, have life-altering consequences – two in three people in fact.

These can be unseen and relatively mild through to more dramatic changes. Thankfully, with the right care and support, rebuilding your life is possible.

St John & St Elizabeth Hospital’s Stroke Clinic is one of the UK’s best-equipped private facilities for post-stroke care and rehab, and offers an extensive range of services, personalised treatment programmes, and all the clinical and emotional support necessary for a speedy recovery.

After the medical emergency of a stroke has passed, it’s really important to uncover the root cause and tailor a rehabilitation programme around this.

The Stroke Clinic provides an intense level of support with a whole team of experts, including physiotherapists, occupational therapists, dieticians, speech & language therapists, and neuro-psychologists, as well as your stroke consultant, who will see you every day.

It’s possible to make big gains in the early stages of recovery, so having the expertise of a specialist multi-disciplinary team is truly invaluable.

Unrooting the cause

Medical investigations are done much more quickly in a private facility.

In the NHS, some of these tests will be done in outpatients, so it can take a while to get the results.

This means it can be some time before your doctor understands what caused your stroke.

At John & Lizzie’s Stroke Clinic, investigations are done immediately and acted upon straight away.

When people come to the clinic, as well as a full assessment, which will include extensive investigations (such as blood tests, respiratory function test and echocardiogram), your consultant will conduct a full review of previous investigations and results to ensure continuity of care.

This is really important as the doctors can work on fixing the problem straight away and make sure another stroke never happens again.

Act FAST

In the UK, someone has a stroke every 5 minutes. The FAST test can help you recognise the most common signs:

Facial weakness – can the person smile? Has their mouth or eye drooped?

Arm weakness – can they raise both their arms?

Speech problems – can they speak clearly and understand what you’re saying?

Time to call 999 if you see any of these signs.

When someone has a stroke, the faster they get help, the more likely they’ll survive and make a full recovery. If you think someone is having a stroke, call 999 straight away.

Stroke respite and rehab care

John & Lizzie’s Stroke Clinic is designed for people who have had emergency treatment for a stroke and need a calm space to rest and recover during the crucial following days.

The clinic also provides ongoing care for people once they’ve returned home, so they can keep making progress and live life to the fullest.

The clinic is a fully accredited BUPA rehabilitation unit, and the multi-disciplinary team is led by Consultant Physicians and Neurologists who hold senior positions in London Teaching Hospitals.

The team are more than happy to show you around the facility before you make any decisions.

Call the Stroke Clinic on 020 7806 4075.

Find out more at https://www.hje.org.uk/services/stroke-unit/