COM-STAR

• Research type

  Research Study

• Full title

  COMmunicating in STroke cAre and Rehabilitation (COM-STAR): Improving staff communication skills for better access to and inclusion in care and rehabilitation for stroke survivors with communication impairments

• IRAS ID

  331416

• Contact name

  Rebecca Palmer

• Contact email

  r.l.palmer@sheffield.ac.uk

• Sponsor organisation

  Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust

• Duration of Study in the UK

  1 years, 3 months, 28 days

• Research summary

  This study summary describes Work Package 3 (WP3) which focuses on evaluating the implementation and impact of a co-designed, evidence-based communication training package for NHS stroke care staff.

  The communication training package is being developed through Work Packages 1 and 2 (WP1 and WP2) which have received ethics approval from University of Sheffield and City St George’s University of London:
  WP1 (complete) involved preparatory activities to inform the development of the training package. This included an exploration of the current context of communication training in UK stroke (survey encompassing both individual and organisational factors), gathering staff and patient experiences of communication in stroke care through interviews, and synthesising evidence from the literature to identify potential training components, communication strategies, and desired outcomes.

  WP2 (on-going) focuses on co-designing the communication training package, including content and delivery, with input from stroke staff, patients, and family members through a series of co-design workshops.

  This process is expected to produce a high-quality, evidence-based e-learning resource, hosted on a UK-wide platform by e-learning for Healthcare (eLfH) and support for skills practice in local clinical contexts.

  WP3 (described in this application) is a mixed methods evaluation of the training implementation that examines both organisational factors, such as adoption, and sustainability, and the communication training package itself, focusing on its acceptability, feasibility, outcomes, and impact on staff and patients. The evaluation will be conducted across four NHS stroke services located in the North and South of England, representing varied service models and stages of the stroke pathway.

• REC name

  North West - Haydock Research Ethics Committee

• REC reference

  25/NW/0332

• Date of REC Opinion

  17 Nov 2025

• REC opinion

  Favourable Opinion