2008 

  • Initial discussions and formation of a UK group to explore the potential of supporting stroke development in Ghana 

  • Associated fundraising

2009 

  • March - First visit to Korle Bu Teaching Hospital (KBTH) Ghana; 2 MDT workshops held; key themes to develop identified 

  • Potential funding sources explored 

  • December - poster at UK Stroke Forum 

2010 

  • October – visit to Ghana, with a UK physiotherapist staying until the end of December to further embed 4 initial core skills training (positioning, communication, swallow, continence) 

2011 

  • March and September - visits to Ghana; core skills training including introduction of logbooks; stroke checklist designed and implemented; data collection agreed; family education introduced 

  • 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 

2012 

  • February – THET grant funding secured until November 2013 

  • May and September - visits to Ghana; core skills training, data collection; basic manual handling equipment provided

  • November – Ghanaian medic, nurse and physiotherapist visit the UK for 2 weeks, spending time with Bournemouth and Portsmouth stroke services; 2 facilitated reflective sessions held

2013

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

  • June and October – visits to Ghana; core skills training; local provision of manual handling equipment; data collection; planning opening of a stroke unit 

  • November – THET visit to KBTH; favourable report on WGSP progress 

  • October - poster at International Allied Health Professionals Conference 

2014 

  • January – KBTH stroke unit opened 

  • January and April - visits to Ghana; core skills training; support for stroke unit processes development and implementation; data collection 

  • October – THET funding secured until April 2017 

2015 

  • February, March, May and October – visits to Ghana; agreed to develop further 4 core skills (mood, functional independence, stroke prevention, and discharge planning); KBTH stroke unit vision statement agreed; leadership quality improvement development sessions with Ghanaian leads to promote sustainability; data collection; laptops provided to KBTH team 

  • March - poster at Wessex Improving Global Health conference 

  • September – 2 nurses and a physiotherapist visit the UK from Ghana for 3 weeks, spending time with Bournemouth and Bath stroke services 

2016 

  • January, June and October – visits to Ghana; core skills & leadership training; 2-year stroke unit celebration event; high quality care statements developed; data collection 

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

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

  • Presentations of leadership development in Ghana at UK Joining Forces regional stroke conference (June), THET conference (October), and UK Stroke Forum (December) conferences 

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

2017 

  • January and April - visits to Ghana; core skills & leadership training, celebration event for completion of THET funded project cycle; data collection 

  • Improving Global Health Fellows (nurse and physiotherapist) complete an 8-week placement at KBTH between January and March to further embed core skills 

  • February - Ghanaian consultant presents on sustainability to the Health Partnership Symposium in Tanzania 

  • May – poster at European Stroke Organisation Conference 

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

  • November - further Health Partnership Scheme grant application successful securing a further 13 months of collaboration, with a focus on training link professionals in two additional hospitals in Accra 

  • November - publication in the South Sudan Medical Journal

Read the South Sudan Medical Journal piece here >> 

 

2018

  • January, May and October – visits to Ghana; core skills and leadership training including dissemination to Ridge and La hospitals in Accra; basic manual handling and positioning equipment provided to Ridge and La; data collection 

  • June - UK stroke partnerships sharing event 

  • December – Stroke in LMICs UK networking event at UK Stroke Forum

2019 

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

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 

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 

2022

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

Link here >>

  • June – publication in the West African Journal of Medicine

Read the West African Journal piece here >> 

  • 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

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