Tuesday 19th September 2023
9am – 5pm (registration 9-9.30am)
Crowne Plaza Hotel Birmingham NEC
The FES Clinician Forum is an opportunity to hear and discuss the latest developments in clinical FES.
Who is the day for?
- Established FES clinicians
- New FES clinicians
- Clinicians considering training and setting up to offer FES treatment
- Researchers
The aim of the meeting is to promote discussion and the exchange of ideas in an informal setting.
The agenda will cover:
- Paediatric FES
- FES in walking with adults
- FES guidelines
- Upper limb FES
- Abdominal FES
- R&D Update
- Research & Case Studies
- FES Update
The meeting will include:
- Clinical experiences and case studies
- Reports on recent research into the use of FES
- Question and answer sessions
- Upper and Limb practical sessions
- Networking opportunity
- Funding information
The meeting is £45.00 and includes a buffet lunch and refreshments. An invoice will be sent upon receipt of your registration form. Your place will be confirmed once payment has been received.
To reserve your place, please click here for the registration form.
FES Clinician Forum Agenda
| Timing | Presentation | Speaker |
| 9.00 | Registration | |
| 9.30 | Welcome and Introduction | Paul Taylor, OML |
| 9.40 | Functional Electrical Stimulation in Paediatrics – An overview of a Paediatric FES service and Case study | Helen Jones, Birmingham Community Healthcare NHS Trust |
| 10.00 | Functional Electrical Stimulation (FES) on Hemiplegic Gait Speed & Foot Strike Angle 1 | Maura Whittaker, West Vancouver, BC, Canada |
| 10.20 | OML new product developments | Rob Batty, OML |
| 10.50 | Morning Break | |
| 11.10 | Lower Limb Functional Electrical Stimulation (FES) in a person with muscular dystrophy, a case study | Amy Scarfe, Rebecca Marshall and Alison Clarke, Sheffield |
| 11.30 | Pace XL versus Walkaide II in a female chronic stroke patient, an observational case study | Kim Gregg, Northern Ireland |
| 11.50 | Functional Electrical Stimulation for Foot Drop: A Service Evaluation in Neuro-Outpatient Physiotherapy | Ellen Armitage, Oxford
|
| 12.10 | Update on Clinical Guidelines for FES e.g. ACPIN, RCP, NICE – highlighting important developments and recommendations that could impact on clinical practice. The session will also include an opportunity to influence future work on clinical practice guideline development | Jane Burridge, ACPIN and Tamsyn Street, Salisbury NHS Foundation Trust |
| 12.40 | Lunch | |
| 1.40 | Assessment of electrical stimulation to improve movement for people who have Parkinson’s disease. The STEPS II project | Paul Taylor, OML |
| 2.00 | The use of FES in finger dysfunction – A case study discussing the use of FES in finger dysfunction alongside B.Tox | Carla Peace, Birmingham Community Healthcare NHS Trust |
| 2.20 | FES on Lower Limb Amputees | Christine Singleton, Birmingham Community Healthcare NHS Trust |
| 2.40 | Update on techniques for stimulation of the upper and lower limb | Katie Mahoney and Jon Kirkbride, OML |
| 3.40 | Afternoon break | |
| 4.00 | Early use of Neuromuscular Electrical Stimulation (NMES) for key musculature recovery for independent gait in Brown Sequard Injuries | Maura Whittaker, West Vancouver, BC, Canada |
| 4.20 | Abdominal Function Electrical Stimulation (ABFES) for the treatment of neurogenic bowel dysfunction (NBD) – An overview of the data and results that have been collated so far in this research | Carla Peace and Christine Singleton, Birmingham Community Healthcare NHS Trust |
| 4.40 | FES for orthostatic hypotension in spinal cord injury | Paul Taylor, OML |
| 5.00 | Close |
Speaker Information:
Ellen Armitage
I have over 15 years’ experience as a neuro physiotherapist. During last 5- years I have enjoyed expanding my clinical skills in the use of functional electrical stimulation, in the application, set up and review of the ODFS. I have also relished the challenge in co-leading the design, implementation and evaluation of a FES service for foot drop.
Kim Gregg
Currently an Independent private practitioner in N Ireland with a varied neuro-rehabilitation caseload. I previously worked as the Clinical Specialist Physiotherapist in the Regional Spinal Cord Injury Unit Belfast for 10 years. Alongside my FES work I am involved with the Eksobionics/Indego, ReWalk and Lokomat robotic walking systems.
Katie Mahoney
Katie Mahoney is a clinical specialist lead physiotherapist at the OML Salisbury FES clinic. She has a broad experience of both upper and lower limb FES in adults and children with neurological conditions. She is a regular teacher of clinical FES and co-developed the OML online lower limb FES course.
Carla Peace
Carla has been a Physiotherapist since graduating from the University of Hertfordshire in 2007. She has specialised in the treatment of patients with Neurological conditions since 2010 and specifically in the area of Functional Electrical Stimulation (FES) since 2014 at the West Midlands Rehabilitation Centre in Birmingham. She has extensive experience within the NHS as well as experience within the private sector and is a guest lecturer for University College London (UCL) on the subject of FES. Carla has continued her studies having completed Masters modules in aspects of Neurological Rehabilitation and is an active member of IFESS and ACPIN (Association of Chartered Physiotherapists in Neurology). Carla’s research interests include the use of abdominal functional electrical stimulation for the treatment of neurogenic bowel and the development of clinical practice guidelines for FES. When not working, Carla is busy chasing after a toddler or relaxing walking over the hills with her dog!
Amy Scarfe
Dr Amy Scarfe (PhD) is a registered Clinical Scientist and has been working at Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust since 2015. Predominantly based in the Gait Laboratory at the Northern General Hospital, she works as part of a multidisciplinary team delivering the regional Functional Electrical Stimulation and Clinical Gait Analysis services. She has extensive experience in providing FES for both walking and upper limb rehabilitation.
Christine Singleton
Consultant therapist (Physio) & Service Lead for Functional Electrical Stimulation (FES) clinic (1995 – present) providing treatment for 1000s of patients with long term neurological conditions
Active researcher into the use of FES for neurological patients (1995 – present
Project Manager for Rehabilitation Services (2014- present)
Clinical Lead for the West Midlands Rehabilitation Services 2008-2012
A member of the steering group delivering the National MS audits (2006, 2008 & 2011) and Clinical Guidelines for FES (2021-22). Project Manager for West Midlands Spasticity Network 2004-14
Educate and support clinicians nationally and present on FES at the World Conferences
Founder member of Therapists in Multiple Sclerosis (TiMS) in 2004 and FES Applications in Rehabilitation FESAiR in 2005 – an international partnership
Lecturer/trainer and Clinical Lead for the Regional FES clinic at the West Midlands Rehabilitation Centre (B’ham) since 2002
Masters degree in Healthcare Sciences – Research (B’ham 2002)
Private Physiotherapy Practitioner since 2000
Clinical experience in the field of neurology since 1990 establishing FES clinics in Birmingham UK in 1995 & 2002.
Qualified Chartered Physiotherapist (UK- 1982)
Tamsyn Street
Dr Tamsyn Street is an NHS interdisciplinary researcher at Salisbury NHS Foundation Trust with a background in motor neurorehabilitation. She is interested in bridging the gap between research and clinical practice and improving patient access to evidence-based interventions. Dr Street’s research interests include the use of electrical stimulation technologies for improving motor neurorehabilitation, neurogenic bowel, bladder, sexual functioning and respiratory functioning. Dr Street is also interested in exploring the underlying mechanisms of electrical stimulation to optimise outcomes for patients
Paul Taylor
Paul Taylor is Head of Research at the National Clinical FES Centre at Salisbury District Hospital, UK and visiting professor at Bournemouth University, Faculty of Health and Social Science. He is also co-founder and Clinical Director of Odstock Medical Limited, the NHS owned company set up by Salisbury NHS Foundation Trust to develop FES devices and clinical services. He is a Biomedical Engineer specialising in Functional Electrical stimulation (FES). His main area of work has been the development, clinical testing and service delivery for FES systems used to assist gait for people with dropped foot due to multiple sclerosis, stroke, spinal cord injury, Parkinson’s and other neurological conditions. He also has an interest in developing and accessing systems for upper limb training in stroke and spinal cord injury. Paul is president of the UK and Ireland chapter of the international FES Society.
Maura Whittaker
Diploma in Physiotherapy, University College Dublin, Ireland.
Bachelor of Science in Physiotherapy, University of British Columbia, Vancouver
Master of Business Administration, City University, Vancouver, BC
1980-2008: Staff Physiotherapist & Clinical Specialist Spinal Cord Rehabilitation Program & Amputee Program, GF Strong Rehab Centre, Vancouver.
2008- present: Canadian representative for Odstock Medical Ltd.
Provides clinical education & demonstration of Odstock devices to Canadian clinicians through courses and online instruction.
Professional practice activities include physiotherapy assessment, fitting & follow up of Odstock devices to Canadian patients
2000- present: Clinical instructor (FES) School of Rehabilitation, University of British Columbia. 2017 – Adjunct Professor, University of British Columbia
Co-author on collaborative FES research published in: Arch Phys Med Rehabil Vol 80, May 1999:p. 495-50; Arch Phys Med Rehabil Vol 85, October 2004 1718-23; Spinal Cord (2004) 42, p.156-162; Neurorehabilitation and Neural Repair 20(3); 2006; Neurorehabil Neural Repair. 2010 Feb 24(2): 152-67. Epub 2009 Oct 21.
Current research: Evaluation of the Effect of the Odstock Dropped Foot Stimulator on Gait Parameters in Stroke with clinical assessments using APDM Mobility Lab
