Three neuro-rehab leaders have been shortlisted for the lifetime achievement award at the NR Times Awards 2026, sponsored by Proclaim Group.
The award recognises an individual who has dedicated their working or personal life to improving the impact of neurorehabilitation.
That contribution can take many forms, from research, innovation and campaigning to leadership and direct work with patients and families.
This year’s finalists have helped establish specialist rehabilitation services, develop and evaluate new therapies and change how the quality and outcomes of care are measured.
About the sponsor
Proclaim Group brings together award-winning specialist rehabilitation, vocational and occupational therapy services through three companies, Proclaim Care, Obair Associates and Resolve Health.
Its services focus on outcomes for adults and children affected by illness or injury, with vocational support to help people return to work.
Through its specialist training academy, the group also provides training for insurers, solicitors, clinicians and employers.
Shortlist revealed
Congratulations to the shortlisted individuals all doing incredible work in the sector.
The overall winner will be announced at a virtual event on December 2.
Lifetime Achievement Award Shortlist
Professor Mike Barnes
Professor Mike Barnes helped establish neurological rehabilitation as a medical specialty in the UK and championed its development internationally.
His work at Hunters Moor, a regional rehabilitation centre in Newcastle, demonstrated the value of coordinated specialist care for people with neurological injuries and disabilities and their families.
Barnes was the founding president of the World Federation for Neurorehabilitation and chaired the United Kingdom Acquired Brain Injury Forum.
He also set up the Independent Neurological Rehabilitation Providers Alliance to promote specialist provision and greater transparency around standards in the independent sector.
Alongside his clinical and leadership roles, Barnes has helped train generations of rehabilitation professionals through lectures, academic publications and specialist education programmes.
Professor Jane Burridge
Professor Jane Burridge began her career as a physiotherapist and went on to become emerita professor of restorative neuroscience at the University of Southampton.
Her research has helped explain how people recover movement and sensation after neurological injury and informed the design of technologies to support rehabilitation after stroke and spinal cord injury.
Working with engineers, psychologists and industry partners, Burridge has helped develop and evaluate tools including rehabilitation robots and functional electrical stimulation.
She has also studied what helps people stick with therapy and what prevents new technologies from being adopted in practice.
At Southampton, she designed and led an interdisciplinary master’s degree in rehabilitation and led international research projects.
Professor Lynne Turner-Stokes
Professor Lynne Turner-Stokes has helped shape how specialist rehabilitation is delivered and evaluated across England.
As director of the Regional Hyper-acute Rehabilitation Unit at Northwick Park Hospital, she has led a service supporting adults with severe and complex disabilities, many of whom have an acquired brain injury.
She also directs the UK Rehabilitation Outcomes Collaborative, which provides national benchmarking for specialist rehabilitation services in England.
Her work has informed national policy and clinical guidance on issues including spasticity and prolonged disorders of consciousness.
Her research includes a decade-long international programme examining how upper limb spasticity is managed in clinical practice and a national audit of specialist rehabilitation after major trauma.
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