Holly Brislen

Holly Brislen.
Community Stroke Prevention Practitioner @ Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board.
Chair of the Welsh Stroke Nurse Forum.

Previous Experience

I have spent most of my career as a Nurse working in Hyper-Acute Stroke and Neuro-rehabilitation in England. I then moved into the role of Community Stroke Prevention Practitioner @BCUHB with emphasis on embedding our service into Community and Primary Care Services. At its core, the service looks at Primary and Secondary Stroke Prevention and education for health care professionals, patients and families.
I am currently an MRes (Stroke) Student @ Cardiff Metropolitan University.

A bit about me

In my spare time I enjoy music and practice Aikido. I also take time to spend with loved ones and enjoy being outside and visiting new places/exploring!

Key areas of interest

I am passionate about addressing the burden of cardiovascular disease our communities face due to social determinants of health. In particular how we can address the fact that people living in poverty are likely to have a Stroke 7 years earlier than their neighbours in more affluent postcodes. My MRes project focuses on substance misuse as a stroke risk factor and how harm reduction strategies may be useful to lessen risk of Stroke in TIA patients.

I am also a passionate advocate for preventative/early health interventions and the modifiable risk factors associated with Stroke.

I am also interested in how we can ensure Nurses voices are heard across the Stroke pathway. I am also keen to highlight innovation from Nurses delivering impactful evidence-based care across the whole of the Stroke pathway,
What am I looking forward to in my new role?

I am looking forward to being surrounded by like minded people who care deeply about our patients/communities. I feel it will be a privilege to be a part of a programme which aims to improve Stroke Services across the pathway in which the community is always at the heart.

BCUHB Stroke Services
https://bcuhb.nhs.wales/services/hospital-services/stroke-service/