ESO Spirit of Excellence awards

A committed and experienced nurse, Rita has helped draft the stroke pathway that delivered exceptional progress and results at Ospedale Santa Maria Nuova in Firenze, Italy. Her contribution to training, with an emphasis on multidisciplinary teamwork, is impacting stroke care beyond her own hospital.

Internal medicine specialist Dr Ana Cláudia leverages teamwork to achieve the best possible outcomes for patients at Hospital Litoral Alentejano in Portugal. She works closely with patients to support their recovery, and supports her team through training, motivation and creating opportunities for knowledge-sharing.

As president of Romania’s first stroke patient organisation ALIA, Liliana brings her background in education and journalism to creating public awareness of stroke. She is an enthusiastic supporter of the FAST Heroes campaign through whose contribution the project garnered the support of the Ministries of Education and Health.

A physiotherapist at Liptovský Mikuláš Hospital in Slovakia, Vladimíra, is dedicated to improving stroke care in the early rehabilitation of patients . She is an impactful speaker, having covered the topics of positioning, stimulation and rehabilitation in presentations to over 1,000 nurses. She overcomes obstacles with ingenuity and always puts the patient first.

This neurologist-nurse partnership (also the Catalan Stroke Steering Committee), is the force behind stroke network development in Catalonia, including a high-functioning telestroke system. Dr Perez’s influence extends throughout Spain, while SEDENE member Mercé Salvat is a promoter and implementer of nurses’ leadership role in stroke.

A stroke unit nurse at Hospital del Mar de Barcelona, Spain, Veronica Hidalgo has developed activities to promote the evaluation of the mood of patients with acute stroke. She is an active participant in the evaluation of the quality standards of nursing care in the stroke units.

Head of the Neurology Department of the University Hospital of La Coruña, Dr Mar Castellanos is also responsible for the coordination and development of the Stroke Plan in Galicia and the main promoter of the national stroke registry to achieve standardisation throughout the country.