Commissioning

  • Lincolnshire Community Hospitals Group improves safety for patients with paralysed bowels

    Lincolnshire Community Hospitals Group has joined with Spinal Injuries Association to improve patient experiences for people who have lost bowel function after injury or illness. While no official figures on the prevalence of paralysed bowels exist, the charity estimates that over 457,000 people in the UK with neurological conditions, including spinal cord injuries, multiple sclerosis, [...]

  • Aurum joins UK trade mission to India

    Aurum Biosciences, a stroke technology firm, has been selected for a UK government trade mission to India this month. Aurum Biosciences will join a Department for Business and Trade visit from 16 to 19 February, with events, round table meetings and pitching opportunities. One focus will be the BioAsia 2026 Summit in Hyderabad, described as [...]

  • Woman rewrites her story six years after spinal stroke

    When Abbie Webb (32) from Gloucester sustained a spinal cord injury after what doctors believe to have been a spinal stroke, she struggled to return to her previous life. Now, six years later, she has gained a new resilience and is more active and adventurous than ever. In January 2019, Abbie had just moved into [...]

  • NHS stroke specialist shortage leaving thousands dead or severely disabled, doctors say

    Thousands of people in the UK are at risk death or severe disability due to a lack of NHS stroke specialists, senior doctors have warned. A chronic shortage of stroke consultants means patients face delays to clot-busting drugs and surgery, with horrendous consequences, they said. Prof David Werring, past president of the British and Irish [...]

  • NHS AI tool will help 50% of stroke patients recover

    Half of all people who experience a stroke in England will now recover thanks to an AI scanning system rolled out across all 107 NHS stroke centres. The software analyses CT brain scans in about a minute, quickly telling doctors if they need to perform emergency surgery or give drugs – and can triple the [...]

  • World-first UK genetics study could transform NHS care for brain aneurysms

    A new research initiative aims to lay the foundation for the country’s first genetic screening programme for brain aneurysms—potentially reshaping how the NHS identifies and manages a life-threatening but often overlooked condition that can devastate families for generations. The ROAR-DNA Project, a UK-based multicentre research project bringing together researchers from University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation [...]

  • NHS stroke care failures rise sharply, ombudsman warns

    Complaints and investigations into poor stroke care in the NHS have risen significantly, with the health ombudsman reporting a two-thirds increase in formal investigations over four years. Between March 2021 and March 2025, the number of investigations into stroke-related care rose from 17 to 28, according to the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman. The watchdog [...]

  • Neuro survey reveals NHS gaps, with only a third of patients needs being met

    People living with neurological conditions across England are being failed by a health system that is struggling to meet even basic needs, according to a new survey. Published today by the Neurological Alliance, the survey reveals that just one in three respondents felt the care they receive meets their needs. The situation is especially stark [...]

  • Cambridge professor accused of failing IQ tests to boost £1m NHS stroke claim

    A Cambridge academic has been accused of deliberately underperforming on IQ and memory tests to strengthen a £1 million compensation claim against the NHS for alleged failings in stroke care. Dr Mohamed Atef Hakmi, 64, an orthopaedic surgeon and affiliated assistant professor at Cambridge University, is suing the NHS, claiming a delayed diagnosis of a [...]

  • Hull brain injury charity formalises NHS partnership with new hospital contract

    A Hull-based charity supporting people with brain injuries has been awarded an honorary contract with Hull University Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust (HUTHT), marking a formal step in a partnership that began almost a decade ago. The agreement enables Paul Spence, founder and CEO of P.A.U.L For Brain Recovery, and Nathalie Martin, the charity’s service delivery [...]