Neuro Rehab OnLine (NROL) is a real-time digital stroke rehabilitation delivery model. The foundation of the therapy are online group sessions delivered by a multi-disciplinary team.
Health Innovation North West Coast is proud to be a partner in a successful SBRI Health Care grant: Competition 26, Phase 3, Stroke. The announcement was made on 10 March 2025, and work has already begun on this 12-month programme for digital stroke rehabilitation delivery in Lancashire and South Cumbria and Cheshire and Merseyside.
The bid required rigorous collaboration between NHS clinicians and leadership, academia, medtech innovators, a national charity and Health Innovation North West Coast staff, but, most importantly, the project will be driven by a team of passionate experts who are committed to improving patient care.
The grant is led by Adam Partington, Neuro Rehab OnLine (NROL) Operational Lead at East Lancashire Hospitals NHS Trust, and will support the expansion and evaluation of the NROL programme - a real-time digital stroke rehabilitation delivery model (created by UCL and SameYou in 2020) – at both local ICBs, Lancashire and South Cumbria (L&SC) and Cheshire and Merseyside.
At the same time, the team also aims to increase rehabilitation sessions delivered by the existing service to further improve patient outcomes. The foundation of the therapy are online group sessions delivered by a multi-disciplinary team through a digital platform provided by medtech innovator Elaros. The addition of the new platform will improve patient access and outcomes and be more efficient and convenient for staff.
Adam Partington said: “NROL has been a joy to be involved in... This bid will allow us to continue the great work whilst improving access to therapy for patients. It will develop a robust framework to sustain NROL in L&SC, whilst providing a model for wider adoption… We have been so lucky to engage with such a great set of partners who are all driven to improve patient care and recovery. I can’t wait to get started and see more and more patients benefit from the service.”
The project will require elements of patient engagement, pathway change coaching and leadership, evaluation, and a plan for spread and adoption outside of project’s study sites. These areas are where Health Innovation North West Coast will be a vital partner.
Steve Adams, Commercial Programme Manager at Health Innovation North West Coast, supported this the grant’s bid and said: “This a great example of how innovation is not just about a new product. Our improvement has been focused on improving the pathway, our processes and practice.”
The total value of the grant is £494,000 and will be shared by the bid partners to complete their deliverables.
Bid partner Elaros is “very excited to join this brilliant partnership that we hope will enhance neurological rehabilitation care around the country by building on our nearly 3-year long relationship with ELHT and L&SC ICS supporting their Long Covid services”.
Louise Connell, Professor of Allied Health Rehabilitation across ELHT and Lancaster University, said: “Clinical academic roles play a crucial role in bridging research and practice to ensure that innovative rehabilitation models like NROL are evidence-based, feasible and sustainable. With joint roles between the NHS and Lancaster University, our work is focused on generating robust evidence to support implementation while ensuring that telerehabilitation is embedded within routine care. This project is a vital step in strengthening the future of stroke and neurological services and expanding access to high-quality rehabilitation."
Jenny Clarke MBE, CEO of SameYou, said: “NROL has yielded remarkable outcomes. We are absolutely delighted to see it awarded funding, which highlights the critical need for additional support… It’s vital for patients to understand that they haven’t lost the person they were before, and with programmes like NROL, they are empowered to regain control of their recovery journey."
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