Priory appoints new Medical Director of Specialist Brain Injury Services

Priory is delighted to announce the appointment of Dr Martine Stoffels as Medical Director of Acquired Brain Injury Services.

Dr Martine Stoffels is a consultant in adult, old age and rehabilitation psychiatry and has worked in the field of neuropsychiatry for the past decade.

She has extensive experience of working with people with a wide variety of neuropsychiatric conditions, including acquired and traumatic brain injury, as well as people who are developing neurodegenerative conditions, such as dementia.

Overseeing Elm Park, Grafton Manor and Burton Park

Taking up her newly created role, Dr Stoffels will be medical director for Elm Park, Grafton Manor and Burton Park. These three sites specialise in the assessment and treatment of individuals with complex needs following traumatic brain injury (TBI) or acquired brain injury (ABI).

These services are part of a larger Priory Brain Injury Service which spans over a network of 13 sites in total, ensuring patients are provided the full remit of treatment, including both inpatient rehabilitation and continued care at home.

Physical and mental health link

Dr Stoffels continues to be at the forefront of new treatment in brain injury. She is particularly passionate about ensuring the connection between physical and mental health following changes in the brain after injury is recognised in her new role.

Dr Stoffels said: “Changes in the brain can be caused by an accident such as a road traffic accident or a sporting accident, or by an illness such as dementia. For some people these brain changes can lead to changes in behaviour, which in turn results in neuro-behavioural disability.”

The specialist care offered at Priory for treatment of such disabilities can be truly life transforming. If people with a brain injury receive prompt and professional treatment, it is believed to significantly improve their quality of life, while also reducing the burden on loved ones.

Care in less restrictive settings

Dr Stoffels elaborated that with efficient treatment within the first two years of a diagnosis by skilled medical staff, patients can function at higher levels to the point where ongoing care can eventually be provided in more comfortable community environments.

She concluded: “My priority in this new role is to champion evidence-based interventions and share innovation and good practice across the entire Priory Brain Injury Services network.” 

The extensive Brain Injury Services offered at Priory sites across the UK provide highly specialised treatment programmes based on national guidance and research.