About Us

Most of us take movement for granted. Walking, sitting, standing, these are automatic actions we think little about. But, when damage to the brain or spinal cord causes a breakdown in the signals to our muscles these simple, everyday acts become frustratingly difficult, if not impossible. This is what happens for people living with spasticity.


Mission

Moving Forward is committed to improving the management and treatment of spasticity. To fulfil this mission, Moving Forward builds public support for better care through awareness and campaigning, and develops information resources for both patients and health professionals.

Steering Committee

CHAIR

Dr Anthony B Ward, BSc, FRCPE, FRCP

Dr Ward is a Consultant Physician in Rehabilitation Medicine at the North Staffordshire Rehabilitation Centre, Stoke on Trent

He is also an Honorary Senior Lecturer in Rehabilitation Medicine at the Department of Geriatric & Rehabilitation Medicine, University of Keele. Prior to this he was Honorary Senior Lecturer in Rehabilitation Medicine at the Department of Trauma and Orthopaedic Surgery, University of Keele.

His professional interests are in spasticity management, brain injury rehabilitation, community rehabilitation, especially for disabled young adults, pain in physical disability, disorders of the lumbar spine and foot deformities.

He has published widely on spasticity management, brain injury, community rehabilitation, disabled school leavers, rehabilitation service strategies and training in rehabilitation medicine. He is also Joint Author on A Textbook of Rehabilitation Medicine and Advice to Purchasers: Setting NHS Contracts for Rehabilitation Medicine, Editor of The Medical Aspects of Personal Injury Litigation and numerous book chapters.

COMMITTEE MEMBERS

Rev Peter Bayley

Aged 62. Peter is a Methodist Minister who was diagnosed with MS in 1988, he retired due to ill health in 1999. He is a wheelchair user and suffers from spasticity.

Peter was a regular soldier, from 1957 to 1962 in the 16th Parachute Brigade, after which he trained at Manchester Victoria University before joining the Ministry in 1965 in his local area of North Staffordshire.

In 1970 he returned to the Forces as an army chaplain, serving with numerous regiments all over the world and leaving, having attained the rank of Lt. Colonel, in 1986. The last 13 years of his active ministry were spent in Methodist Circuits in the UK.

Mrs Valerie Bayley

Valerie is teacher. Since starting this career in 1972 teaching adults and students mathematics with computing and science (in an Inner London Secondary School), she has taught in both state and independent schools in London, Essex and Hampshire. She is now an ICT Co-ordinator/ Head of Computing in a school in Newcastle under Lyme and is involved with teaching both students and staff.

Valerie is married to Peter and is his principal carer.

Dr Dipak Datta,MBBS(Calcutta,India), FRCS(Edinburgh),FRCS(Glasgow),FRCP(London).

Dr Datta is a Consultant in Rehabilitation Medicine at the Northern General Hospital, Sheffield. He is also a Honorary Senior Clinical Lecturer at the University of Sheffield.

Dr Datta has special professional interests in the areas of amputee rehabilitation including prosthetics and orthotics, gait analysis, brain injury and management of spasticity.

He has until recently, has been the Clinical Director of Specialised Rehabilitation Services, which included a large supra regional Spinal Injury Unit, Neuro-rehabilitation Unit and a large Centre for Prosthetics, Orthotics, Wheelchairs and Seating. He is due to take up the Chair of the UK branch of the International Society of Prosthetics and Orthotics this year.

Ms Elaine Tyrrell

Elaine qualified from Forth Valley College of Nursing in 1992. She then worked as a staff nurse in Oxford in the Department of Neurosurgery for seven months, followed by employment as a staff nurse within intensive care at Falkirk Royal Infirmary for 15 months. She moved back into Neuroscience nursing as an E Grade Staff Nurse Neurology at the Southern General Hospital in December 1993. She then successfully applied for the role of Dystonia Nurse Specialist in 1996 initially part time but made full time in 1998. Her interest lies within neurology and in particular, movement disorders. She was involved in setting up and developing the service provided at the Southern General Hospital, Glasgow from the beginning which was recently rewarded with a Charter Mark. Her qualifications include RGN and BSc Health Studies. Elaine has also written articles for magazines on behalf of the Dystonia Society.