What We Have Achieved

Our Timeline...

2024

• January - KBTH Stroke Unit celebrate their 10th birthday!

• We change our name to Wessex Global Health Partnerships, and celebrate a successful grant application to the Healthcare Workforce Development Grant Scheme at THET.

2023

• January - visit to The Gambia; core skills training; data collection; laptops and WiFi cards provided

• Regular virtual project planning meetings between EFSTH and UK team established

• MDT virtual education programme established with EFSTH MDT teaching including core skills and stroke medical updates

• July – WGSP hosts second World Stroke Academy webinar on core skills training and dissemination, including representatives from Ghanaian, Gambian and UK teams; attended by over 300 participants from 70 countries

• ·July – Letter of agreement signed between WGSP and University of Zambia / University Teaching Hospital (UNZA / UTH) outlining informal supportive relationship

• September – KBTH nursing team provide virtual support to Zambian nurses training to open the first stroke unit in Zambia, facilitated by UK team

2022

• February – WGSP hosts World Stroke Academy webinar on Developing Stroke Care in West Africa, including representation from Ghanian and UK teams

Watch the webinar here

• June – publication in the West African Journal of Medicine, “Experiences of Multidisciplinary Working: Perspectives from the Wessex Ghana Stroke Partnership”

• June – virtual ESFTH walkaround for WGSP UK team hosted by EFSTH 

• September – further THET funding secured for 6-month initial project phase with EFSTH in The Gambia, focus on diaspora volunteer involvement; publication in Lancet Neurology

Read the Lancet Neurology piece here >>

• October – first UK team visit to The Gambia; core skills training; data collection links between KBTH and EFSTH teams initialised

• December - virtual core skills workshop held with EFSTH team

2021

• Hampshire Hospitals – University of Winchester Global Health Hub established with WGSP as core member 

• November - virtual workshop with EFSTH covering Gambian stroke data review, swallow and positioning core skills training 

2020

• Initial discussions with Edward Francis Small Teaching Hospital (EFSTH) to set up new partnership in The Gambia; lead clinicians at EFSTH identified; key objectives identified; data collection agreed 

2019 

• 10-year celebration event – virtual link between UK and KBTH with timeline and facilitated reflections 

2017

• January - UK team visit Ghana

• Improving Global Health Fellows (nurse and physiotherapists) complete an 8 week placement at KBTH between January and March

• February - Dr Albert Akpalu presents on "Sustainability" at the Health Partnership Symposium in Tanzania

• April - UK team visit Ghana and hold celebration event; final THET grant report submitted

• November- the WGSP team are finalists at the prestigious Health Service Journal Awards.

• November - application for further Health Partnership Scheme Grant successful; securing a further 13 months of collaboration, which will focus on training link professionals in two additional hospitals in Ghana.

• November - paper published in South Sudan Medical Journal, download here

2016

• January, June and October – visits to Ghana

• November – Ghanaian nurse presents at the West African Critical Care conference

• November – Ghanaian consultant medic and nurse visit UK to attend the UK Stroke Forum

• Presentations of Leadership Development in Ghana at the THET conference, UK Stroke Forum and Joining Forces regional conference

• Collaboration with Health Education Wessex to recruit two Improving Health Fellows

  2015

• March, May and October – visits to Ghana

• Agreement on a further 4 core stroke skills to develop – mood, functional independence, stroke prevention and discharge planning. 

• Leadership development sessions identified, to ensure sustainability

• September – 2 nurses and a physiotherapist visit the UK from Ghana for 3 weeks 

2014

• January – Stroke Unit opened

• October – THET grant funding secured until April 2017

2013

• January – Ghanaian nurse, Faustina Okine, is runner up in The Nursing Standard International Nurse of the Year award

• June and October – visits to Ghana

2012

• February – THET grant funding secured until November 2013

• May and September - visit to Ghana

• Agreement on development of 4 core stroke skills – positioning, communication, swallowing and continence

• November – Ghanaian medic, nurse and physiotherapist visit the UK for 2 weeks

2011

• March and September - Visits to Ghana

• April - Publication in International Journal of Stroke – Development of stroke care in Ghana
  Read the Journal of Stroke piece here >> 

• May - Publication in The Lancet – Collaboration works to improve stroke outcomes in Ghana
  Read The Lancet piece here >>

• December - Poster at UK Stroke Forum

2010

• October – visit to Ghana, with Emily Rogers, Physiotherapist staying for a further 8 weeks to the end of December

2009

• March - First one week visit to Ghana

• Discussions and planning as to how best to proceed, with associated funding resource explored

2008

• Initial discussions and formation of a UK group, to explore the potential of supporting stroke development in Ghana.  Associated fund raising