1. Faculty of Medicine and Health
  2. School of Medicine
  3. Research groups
  4. Stroke Rehabilitation

Stroke Rehabilitation

  • Group summary: A part of the Academic Unit for Ageing and Stroke Research, the stroke rehabilitation groups is a world-leading centre for stroke research.

A part of the Academic Unit for Ageing and Stroke Research, the stroke rehabilitation groups is a world-leading centre for stroke research. Our stroke rehabilitation research is primarly ocused on post-stroke care. We have a long-established programme of research addressing the longer term psycho-social outcomes for people and their families after stroke. Or work is underpinned by strong national and international collaborations. We work in close collaboration with the Leeds Institute of Clinical Trials Research.

Our extensive portfolio of research in stroke rehabilitation has achieved impactful changes, including:

  • Successful completion of two of the world’s largest ever stroke rehabilitation trials
  • Development of an unmet needs assessment tool which has been translated into Dutch and French and is being widely used internationally in service provision and research;
  • Exploration of the provision of post-stroke therapy led by David Clarke has had a wide-reaching international impact and used as a case study by the Royal College of Physicians.
  • Lead the Cochrane Review on information provision for people after stroke.
  • Research relating to 6 months review: LoTS-Care, LoTS-2-Care randomised trial.

Our recent projects include:

  • LoTS-2-Care: Development and evaluation of strategies to provide longer-term health and social care for stroke survivors and their carers.
  • CREATE: Using co-production to improve patient carer and staff experiences in health care organizations: a multi-centre, mixed methods evaluation in inpatient stroke units.
  • RECREATE: Development and evaluation of strategies to reduce sedentary behaviour in patients after stroke and improve outcomes
  • Talking about recovery after stroke:  How do we do it, and how can we do better? 
  • ReAcT: Why do stroke patients not recieve the recommended amount of therapy? (ReAcT)
  • CIMSS: The Clinical Information and Management System for Stroke (CIMSS)
  • LoTScare: development and evaluation of a post-stroke review process.
  • TRACS: A cluster randomised controlled trial of a structured training programme for caregivers of inpatients after stroke
  • Starstep study: Feasability study of a supported self-management invesntion for stroke suvivors with aphasia.

Who we are

PhD Students

Key publications 

Hall JF, Crocker TF, Clarke DJ, Forster A. Supporting carers of stroke survivors to reduce carer burden: development of the Preparing is Caring intervention using Intervention Mapping. BMC Public Health 2019; 19:1408; doi:10.1186/s12889-019-7615

Corepal R, Hall JF, English C, Farrin A, Fitzsimons CF, Forster A, Lawton R, Mead G, Clarke D. A protocol for a systematic review of process evaluations of interventions investigating sedentary behaviour in adults. BMJ Open 2019; 9(9):e031291. doi:10.1136/bmjopen-2019-031291

Crocker TF, Ozer S, Brown L, Hall J, Forster A. Non‐pharmacological interventions for longer‐term stroke survivors or their carers: an overview of Cochrane Reviews. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews 2019, Issue 4. Art. No.: CD013317. DOI: 10.1002/14651858.CD013317.

Rodgers H, Shaw L, Bhattarai N, Cant R, Drummond A, Ford G A, Forster A, Francis R, Hills K, Howel D, Laverty A M, McKevitt C, McMeekin P, Price C, Stamp E, Stevens E, Vale L. A trial to evaluate an eXTended RehAbilitation service for Stroke patients (EXTRAS): main patient results. Age Ageing. 2019;48(Supplement_1). Page i40. https://doi.org/10.1093/ageing/afz001.03

Morton S, Fitzsimons C, Hall J, Clarke D, Forster A, English C, Chastin S, Birch KM, Mead G. Sedentary behavior after stroke: A new target for therapeutic intervention. International Journal of Stroke 2019;14(1):9-11. doi: 10.1177/1747493018784505.

Liu H, Lindley R, Alim M, Felix C, Gandhi DBC, Verma SJ, Tugnawat DK, Syrigapu A, Ramamurthy RK, Pandian JD, Walker M, Forster A, Hackett ML, Anderson CS, Langhorne P, Murthy GVS, Maulik PK, Harvey LA, Jan S. Family-led rehabilitation in India (ATTEND)—Findings from the process evaluation of a randomized controlled trial. International Journal of Stroke 2018;1–8. doi.org/10.1177/1747493018790076

Forster A, Crocker TF, Wright A, Burton LJ, Ozer S, Atkinson R, Hardicre NK, House A, Hewison J, McKevitt C, Farrin AJ and on behalf of the LoTS2Care Programme Management Group. An intervention to support stroke survivors and their carers in the longer term (LoTS2Care): study protocol for the process evaluation of a cluster randomised controlled feasibility trial. Trials 2018;1119(1):368.

Forster A, Hartley S, Barnard L, Ozer S, Hardicre N, Crocker T, et al. An intervention to support stroke survivors and their carers in the longer term (LoTS2Care): study protocol for a cluster randomised controlled feasibility trial. Trials (2018) 19(1):317. doi:10.1186/s13063-018-2669-5

Clarke DJ, Burton L, Tyson SF, Rodgers H, Drummond A, Palmer R, Hoffman A, Prescott M, Tyrrell P, Brkic L, Grenfell K, Forster A. Why do stroke survivors not receive recommended amounts of active therapy? Findings from the ReAcT study, a mixed-methods case-study evaluation in eight stroke units. Clinical Rehabilitation 2018; 1-14. doi: 10.1177/0269215518765329

Wray F, Clarke DJ, Forster A. Post-stroke self-management interventions: a systematic review of effectiveness and investigation of the inclusion of stroke survivors with aphasia. Disability and Rehabilitation 2018;40(11):1237-1251. doi.org/10.1080/09638288.2017.1294206

Clarke DJ, Burton L, Tyson SF, Rodgers H, Drummond A, Palmer R, Hoffman A, Prescott M, Tyrrell P, Brkic L, Grenfell K, Forster A. Why do stroke survivors not receive recommended amounts of active therapy? Findings from the ReAcT study, a mixed-methods case-study evaluation in eight stroke units. Clinical Rehabilitation 2018; 1-14. DOI: 10.1177/0269215518765329

Lindley R, Anderson C, Billot L, Forster A, Hackett M, Harvey L, Jan S, Li Q, Liu H, Langhorne P, Maulik P, Murthy G, and Walker M, Pandian J. Family-led rehabilitation after stroke in India: a randomised controlled trial. Lancet 2017 ISSN 1474-547X 390(10094):588-599

Forster A, Young J, Chapman K, Nixon J, Patel A, Holloway I, Mellish K, Anway S, Breen R, Knapp M, Murray J, Farrin A. Cluster Randomized Controlled Trial: Clinical and Cost-Effectiveness of a System of Longer-Term Stroke Care. Stroke 2015; 46:  2212-2219.

Funding Sources 

National Institute for Health Research

The Stroke Association