Stroke researcher clinches NHS Clinical Academic post
A stroke scientist at Glasgow Caledonian University (GCU) has landed a new role as Scotland’s first Allied Health Professions (AHPs) Stroke Clinical Academic with NHS Lanarkshire.
Dr Lesley Scobbie, a Stroke Association Clinical Lecturer at GCU, will be working with community rehabilitation teams across the University’s partner health board to help stroke survivors in Lanarkshire.
She said: “It’s about getting to the crux of what’s important to individual stroke survivors and ensuring that the rehabilitation delivered directly addresses their individual needs, preferences and priorities.
“Clinical academics can support clinical excellence and help to promote a research culture within NHS settings. I’ve been striving to create this post. I am very lucky that the relationship between GCU and NHS Lanarkshire created the springboard for this to happen.”
For the past three years, Dr Scobbie has been working on her programme of research within the School of Health and Life Sciences’ Nursing, Midwifery and Allied Health Professions Research Unit (NMAHP-RU) after being awarded a prestigious five-year Clinical Lectureship by the Stroke Association.
As well as providing a critical clinical perspective to Dr Scobbie’s research, this new clinical academic post will further cement GCU’s partnership with NHS Lanarkshire.
Earlier this year, GCU awarded University status to NHS Lanarkshire clinical departments of podiatry, psychological services and stroke care at University Hospital Monklands in recognition of life-changing research, education and service excellence.
In 2017, all three of the region’s hospitals – Hairmyres, Monklands and Wishaw – were given University status by GCU and renamed. Dr Scobbie is now working across community rehabilitation teams in NHS Lanarkshire in this first of its kind two-year funded post.
Dr Scobbie, who is also an occupational therapist, said: “I am absolutely delighted to have secured this new Stroke AHP Clinical Academic post. This is a great example of what can be achieved when working in partnership with NHS Lanarkshire.
“GCU is leading in stroke care research. In further developing links with NHS Lanarkshire, we seek to strengthen our research and to further enhance the lives of people who have had a stroke.”
Dr Scobbie, who is part of GCU’s Living with Stroke and Long Term conditions group, led by Professor Marian Brady and Professor Frederike Van Wijck, went on: “Understanding and supporting people with the long-term consequences of a stroke is a research priority. GCU’s stroke research programme is well placed to address these important issues.”
Professor Brady described Dr Scobbie’s new joint role between NHS Lanarkshire, GCU and the Stroke Association as an “ambitious and innovative example of how we can support clinical-academics in stroke rehabilitation”.
“In this way expert therapists can retain their clinical focus, ensure that their research addresses important issues and produce clinically relevant findings which can be implemented in the NHS, fast-tracking research benefits to stroke survivors, their families and stroke care teams,” she added.
Katrina Brennan MBE, NHS Lanarkshire stroke MCN Manager and Scottish Stroke Improvement Programme coordinator, said: “We aim to deliver effective, evidence-based rehabilitation to help stroke survivors achieve their best possible recovery. We believe that supporting Lesley’s stroke clinical academic post will help us to achieve this.”