Eleven years on from its launch, is the Rehabilitation Prescription achieving what it should be for patients?
On 28 September 2021, speakers from across the neurorehabilitation sector explored this topic in a roundtable panel discussion with attendee Q&A.
Chaired by Professor Mike Barnes, Clinical Director of NRC Medical Experts, the panel included stroke survivor, Dr Tom Balchin of the ARNI Institute, Hokman Wong, Senior Solicitor, Bolt Burdon Kemp and Sara Grimshaw, Senior Associate and Clinical Specialist Occupational Therapist, Rehabilitate Therapy.
Watch the webinar
Meet your speakers
Professor Mike Barnes, Panel Chair
Professor Mike Barnes is a highly experienced neurological rehabilitation expert – certainly one of the most experienced in the UK having provided over 3000 reports and made over 70 court appearances throughout the UK and overseas. Professor Mike Barnes, a neurologist and rehabilitation physician has been at the highest level of rehabilitation for many years.
He is a past President of the British Society of Rehabilitation Medicine and Founding President of the World Federation of Neurological Rehabilitation. Past chair of both the United Kingdom Acquired Brain Injury Forum (UKABIF) and the Independent Neurorehabilitation Providers Alliance (INPA), Professor Mike Barnes’ expertise is in the field of traumatic brain injury and other neurological conditions such as spinal injury and cerebral palsy.
Dr Tom Balchin, ARNI Stroke Charity
Tom survived a major brain haemorrhage in 1997 and throughout his recovery developed a rehabilitation approach which is now used a part of the ARNI Stroke Charity. Qualified with an MA(Ed) and Phd, Tom spent three years as research fellow/lecturer in gifted education at Brunel University, London and then as MA course leader in gifted education at Reading University. His latest book series concerns the training of stroke survivors: called The Successful Stroke Survivor.
In conjunction with the voluntary day to day running of the ARNI Institute, Tom is a Visiting Lecturer in neurorehabilitation at a number of Universities, including Middlesex University, Brunel University and Oxford Brookes University. He is Secretary (and Vice-President Elect) of the Technology in Medicine Section Council at the Royal Society of Medicine, on the Council of the United Kingdom Rehabilitation Council (UKRC) and the United Kingdom Stroke Forum Conference Steering Group (Stroke Association).
Hokman Wong, Senior Solicitor, Bolt Burdon Kemp
Hokman is a Senior Solicitor at Bolt Burdon Kemp where he specialises in complex high value brain injury claims.
Hokman has wide experience of personal injury claims and has successfully settled claims involving road traffic accidents, tripping accidents and workplace accidents. He has applied this experience to managing personal injury claims for clients who have sustained life changing brain injuries. He understands the difficulties brain injured clients and their families face and proactively seeks solutions whilst a claim is ongoing. This includes seeking early interim payments; liaising with hospitals for early neurorehabilitation; appealing benefits decisions; arranging respite for carers; and challenging the Health and Safety Executive.
Sara Grimshaw, Senior Associate and Clinical Specialist Occupational Therapist, Rehabilitate Therapy
Sara is a Clinical Specialist in traumatic and progressive neurological conditions and specialises in orthopaedic rehabilitation. She holds an MSc Allied Health Practice and a BSc Occupational Therapy.
With 23 years’ experience in acute, community and private settings, Sara has expertise in complex cognitive and physical assessment/rehabilitation, is a certified upper limb FES therapist and works with people following amputation, spinal injuries, and other neurological conditions. She is an accredited wheelchair therapist.
Rehabilitate Therapy develops bespoke occupational therapy programmes, underpinned with client centred measurable goals. With a flexible approach, the team work positively and proactively, always seeking to integrate the skills and contribution of other professionals.
NR Times and NRC Medical Experts Webinar Series
This webinar is the first in a series of of discussions with NR Times and NR Medical Experts.
NRC Medical Experts provide an extensive range of medico-legal reports, services and testimony for claimant and defendant solicitors, barristers and legal teams. Through their NRC Clinical Practice, Consultants in Rehabilitation Medicine oversee an individual’s rehabilitation and recovery journey, ensuring the better outcomes, joined up care and therapeutic intervention with better oversight for legal teams.