Partnership History
Evidence shows that specialist care, delivered on a dedicated unit and by an appropriately skilled multidisciplinary team, improves outcomes for people with stroke.
WGSP was founded in 2008 by Dr Claire Spice (Portsmouth Hospital NHS Trust), Dr Hetty Asare (Ridge Hospital, Accra), and Dr Albert Akpalu (KBTH, Accra).
Since then UK and Ghanaian teams have worked closely together to build capacity within the stroke service at KBTH. The focus has been on developing the knowledge and skills required to deliver fundamental stroke care, using a 'train the trainer' approach. At KBTH there is now an identified local team consisting of stroke care lead clinicians from medicine, nursing and physiotherapy, who work with their colleagues to develop practice and disseminate knowledge. There are identified link clinicians for pharmacy, dietetics, occupational therapy, psychology, and speech and language therapy.
Through the support, advocacy and mentorship provided by the partnership, the KBTH stroke team were able to successfully open a dedicated stroke unit within the hospital in January 2014: the first such unit in West Africa. WGSP continues to support the development of the stroke service in line with the Ghanaian vision, and by developing local solutions to local problems.
““The vision of KBTH Stroke Unit is to provide high quality healthcare to stroke patients in an atmosphere of respect, integrity, service, leadership and multidisciplinary working.””
In 2020, a new partnership was formed with EFSTH in Banjul, The Gambia. Due to the coronavirus pandemic initial contact was entirely virtual, consisting of identifying lead clinicians in medicine, nursing and physiotherapy to act as project advocates, and agreeing desired outcomes for the project. Virtual workshops were held outlining some of the core stroke skills theory.
In 2022 the first in-person visit to EFSTH was carried out by a multidisciplinary team from the UK. This enabled strengthening of relationships with the EFSTH team and a focus on practical skills teaching. Future visit and virtual support have continued to develop the project further.
Since 2023 we have been growing a new relationship with clinicians working with the Neurological Association of Zambia, largely based at University Teaching Hospital in Lusaka. WGSP training materials were shared and virtual peer support between KBTH staff and Zambian colleagues supported the opening of the first stroke unit in Zambia in October 2023.
