In the meantime, future work on the development of educational manual handling programmes, which could be delivered to nurses in conjunction with allied physiotherapy colleagues, could benefit many ward-based nursing teams across hospitals and even those based in community settings. Expertise should be shared for the greater good. Envisaging the development of a stroke unit outreach-type advice service
could be a successful bid to reduce further the complication of muscular contractures. Under the guidance of an informed nursing team, staff could quite easily provide the social stimulation to enable stroke patients to mobilise limbs much earlier or more frequently and remain in more optimal positions for much lengthier periods, rather than only during times when the specialist therapist visits the ward.