Nelson House, Langstone Business Park NP18 2LH membership-support@acpin.net

Jakko Brouwers

Former Chair

I studied physiotherapy in the Netherlands and neuro-rehabilitation in Switzerland, whilst working in Germany and Austria, before an appointment as inpatient and community physiotherapist for South Pembrokeshire. This was followed by jobs at Stroke and Brain Injury Units in Bristol and Bath, followed by taking post for 12 years as Site Superintendent for the Welsh Specialist SCI and Neuro Rehabilitation Unit at Rookwood Hospital, which is Wales’ national specialist rehabilitation service in Cardiff. After completing an MSc in neuroscience physiotherapy at Cardiff University with a dissertation evaluating stroke rehabilitation and a growing interest in health system improvement, I became Neurosciences Therapy Lead, and pioneered collaborative service design with professionals and patient representatives throughout Wales. It was in this role where I was tasked with and developed the South Wales Neuroscience Community Rehabilitation models. The models were eventually agreed with all Welsh Health Board CEOs and the Health Minister. That project combined with a new rehabilitation hospital design project lead to a post as senior manager for improvement and performance at Cardiff and Vale University Health Board. In this role, I led projects for modernising and digitising medical records among other hospital process improvements. This role also included teaching of service improvement methods to health professionals and the wider public service in Wales. As well as various management and project management courses, I completed lean six sigma green-belt and black-belt training for health care.

Upon leaving the NHS, I founded a flourishing private "evidence-based" neuro-physiotherapy clinic using modern rehabilitation technology; and concurrently provided support to a group of Malaysian hospitals in the establishment of and boosting performance of dedicated rehabilitation teams.

As a charitable cause, I am a founder member of a British cycling registered paracycling club, with which we have organised and supported various bike rides including the popular Carten100 for 6 consecutive years.

I was a founding member and the first chair of Wales ACPIN region (growing four-fold in first years). Here we pioneered the successful use of WebEx as a teaching and meeting tool for ACPIN regionally and nationally. Joining the National Committee formally in 2008 and National Chair from 2014 to 2019.  Currently Board member and past Chair. As a past chair of Spinal Cord Injury Therapy Leads group (SCiTL), I have also been active in National Spinal Cord Injury Strategy Board; have engaged in clinical research and co-authored several publications; have presented internationally on neuro rehabilitation and service improvement; and have supported PhD projects (mathematics as well as physiotherapy). Passionate about the neuro physiotherapy profession and consequent improvements in patient quality of life, I strive, through ACPIN, to promote networking, CPD, high professional standards and public /clinical recognition.