New Breakfast Club at Countess of Chester Hospital NHS Foundation Trust is transforming stroke patients' recovery experience
A breakfast club initiative at the Countess of Chester Hospital NHS Foundation Trust is changing the way stroke patients recover and giving them a fun reason to get out of bed every morning.
The recently launched club on the stroke unit at Ellesmere Port Hospital has become a lifeline for patients who are often in hospital for extended periods of time, providing them with a renewed sense of purpose, community and a vital boost to their rehabilitation.
The club, part of a wider push to increase patient activity, invites patients on the stroke ward to gather each morning to prepare and share a meal together, giving them the opportunity to complete everyday tasks they might otherwise miss during their recovery.
Since it started, the club has quickly become a cherished part of the daily routine for patients, helping their recovery and giving them renewed motivation.
John Powell, who has been on the wards at Ellesmere Port Hospital for four weeks, said the club has given him a reason to get out of bed and meet more people.
"It was daunting the first time but now I really enjoy it," he said. "It gets me out in the morning and the brilliant therapists are taskmasters in making you get your own breakfast - in a nice way!
"I have progressed massively since being here, the club has given me so much independence. The people I share a ward with are brilliant and we all have a real laugh together," he explained.
Therapy assistant Nikki McKimmie, who runs the breakfast club, along with Sadie Eardley, added: "We recognise that protracted hospital stays can result in institutionalization of patients and also deconditioning, associated with low levels of physical activity.
"Meeting as a group leads to opportunities for social interaction and improved physical and mental wellbeing and it's also an opportunity for therapists to rehabilitate functional and cognitive ability through meaningful everyday tasks that we normally take for granted.
"Our breakfast club has proved a massive success and we are so pleased how popular it has been with our patients," she said.
Published: 03/09/2024