The COM-STAR project
A multidisciplinary research programme to change the way stroke survivors with communication impairments are included in care and rehabilitation.
About
The COMmunicating in STroke cAre and Rehabilitation (COM-STAR) research programme aims to understand the key communication training needs of stroke care staff working with NHS patients.
Funded by the NIHR Health and Social Care Delivery Research (HSDR) Programme Grant, the three-year programme will then develop and test training to improve the communication abilities of these staff with patients, to increase patient and staff satisfaction levels in services. This will ultimately better support inclusion, and access to services, for the two-thirds of stroke patients in the UK who have communication impairments.
The research consists of three work packages:
Package 1
Beginning in June 2024, the first stage will include a survey of UK stroke staff about their current communication training; barriers to getting trained or using the communication skills learned; and other factors that help. The first year also involves interviews with stroke survivors with communication impairments, family members, and staff to understand their experiences of communicating in hospital and community services and reviewing the existing research literature to understand what has already been done in staff training.
Package 2
All the findings from the first year of COM-STAR are integrated and will inform the context for the second year which uses the Experience-Based Co-Design (EBCD) process to develop a new communication skills training programme for staff and resources to support communication. This collaborative process involves a series of workshops with stakeholders including NHS stroke staff, service managers, policymakers, and stroke survivors with communication impairments and their families. Uniquely, COM-STAR will run this process in parallel across two sites in Sheffield and London, providing opportunities for a range of stakeholders to be involved.
Some workshops will be attended by e-learning for health partners, NHS England-Technology Enhanced Learning, to help iteratively design and build what the team anticipate is likely to be a standardised digital communication training package for stroke staff.
Package 3
The third stage of the research will be a full evaluation of the work conducted at four NHS trusts - two in the North of England and two in the South - including the implementation, feasibility, acceptability, outcomes and impact of the training package with stroke staff, patients, and family members.
Our team
Rebecca Palmer, Professor of Stroke Communication & Rehabilitation at Sheffield, and Madeline Cruice, Professor of Aphasia Rehabilitation and Recovery at City, jointly lead the programme.
They are working in collaboration with colleagues at
- University of Sheffield
- City, University of London
- Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
- Glasgow Caledonian University
- St George’s, University of London
- University of Central Lancashire
- University College London (UCL)
- University of Nottingham
- University of Southern Denmark
- University of Technology Sydney (UTS)
Information for professionals
Join our mailing list
If you want to receive quarterly updates about the project and learn about opportunities to get involved, see below to sign up for our mailing list.
Shape the future of stroke care communication training
Calling all health or social care professionals, health care/rehabilitation assistants or domestic/housekeepers working in stroke care.
Join the NIHR COM-STAR project in designing training for staff working with NHS stroke patients with communication difficulties.
Share your thoughts to help us understand what is currently available and what is needed. By taking part in our survey, you will directly contribute to shaping training programs that enhance communication with stroke patients, ultimately improving their care and rehabilitation experiences and outcomes.
Complete our brief 15-minute survey for a chance to WIN one of four £50 Love2Shop or Amazon vouchers.
Launch video
Newsletters
Opportunities to get involved
The COM-STAR project is developing new training for NHS staff who work with people with communication difficulties after a stroke.
We want to hear stories of communication successes and challenges from people who work with stroke survivors with communication difficulties. We hope to interview a diverse range of 10 stroke care staff. We would also like to interview people with communication difficulties after a stroke and their family members. We are looking for stories from people with lots of different experiences.
The interviews can take place in person or by video call. We will video-record the interviews. We will select clips from the videos to show other stroke survivors, family members, stroke staff and researchers. These stories will help them design new communication training together.
Read our information sheet (PDF 248KB)
If you are interested in taking part or have any questions, contact the team at comstar@sheffield.ac.uk.
Contact us
If you want to receive quarterly updates on the project and learn about opportunities to get involved, you can join our mailing list.
You can also contact us at comstar@sheffield.ac.uk