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30 years of the South London Stroke Register

28 April 2026

Health

The Stroke Research Group at King’s College London recently held a symposium to mark 30 years of the South London Stroke Register (SLSR) – a long-term research study investigating the incidence, causes and outcomes of stroke.

London and EU Colleagues at the South London Stroke Register 30 year symposium — London and EU colleagues at the South London Stroke Register 30 year symposium

An audience of over 60 people, including researchers, clinicians, past collaborators and funders, and stroke survivors gathered at the event at Guy’s Hospital in March to hear about how the data from the SLSR is being applied to improve patient care and its directions for future research.

A powerful resource for stroke research

Running since 1995, the SLSR is a population-based cohort study that recruits all stroke patients living in the northern part of Southwark and Lambeth. It was founded by King’s Emeritus Professors Charles Wolfe and Tony Rudd.

Since its inception, the SLSR has collected data for over 8,000 stroke patients, most of whom have been followed up for many years (some for up to 15 years post stroke), making it a powerful resource for stroke research. Analyses of SLSR data have revealed important insights on stroke incidence and outcomes in a diverse, inner-city population.

Organised by the Stroke Research Group at King’s, the 30^th anniversary symposium highlighted the value of the SLSR as a ‘health inequalities lab,’ enabling studies that have shed light on ethnic and socio-economic inequalities in stroke risk factors, incidence and outcomes.

One such study was presented by PhD candidate Camila Pantoja-Ruiz. Camila shared results from a 30-year population-based analysis which found that, on average, patients of Black African ethnicity experience a first stroke more than 10 years younger, and Black Caribbean patients more than three years younger, than White patients. It also found that stroke risk is highest where ethnic disadvantage and socioeconomic disadvantage overlap.

Camila Pantoja-Ruiz presenting at 30 year SLSR symposium

Camila Pantoja-Ruiz, PhD candidate at King's, presenting at 30 year SLSR Symposium

David Wyatt presenting at 30 year SLSR symposium

Dr David Wyatt, Visiting Lecturer at King's, presenting at 30 year SLSR Symposium

Eva Emmett presenting at 30 year SLSR symposium

Dr Eva Emmett, Research Fellow at King's, presenting at 30 year SLSR Symposium

The importance of patient involvement

A central pillar of the research programme is engagement with stroke survivors and their families. In 2005, the team established a Stroke Research Patient and Family Group. The members work with researchers to develop research plans that aim to improve the lives of stroke survivors and their families.

At the symposium, Dr Sophie Rowland-Coomber, Research Associate in Social Science and member of the Stroke Research Group, spoke about the importance of patient and public involvement to stroke research. She shared details of a photovoice project, co-produced by members of the patient and family group, that captured the voices and lived experiences of stroke survivors.

For 20 years our group has shown what is possible when researchers truly listen to stroke survivors. We're working to improve the inclusion of stroke survivors in patient and public involvement (PPI).– Dr David Wyatt, Visiting Lecturer at King’s

We are especially working to improve inclusion of those with more severe stroke-related communication and cognitive impairments who are often absent from PPI groups. Creative and visual methods like Photovoice are an effective way of meaningfully involving people with stroke in research.– Dr Sophie Rowland-Coomber, Research Associate in Social Science at King's

Looking to the future

The event concluded with a session on future directions for stroke research and clinical care. Professor Deborah Lowe, Medical Director at the Stroke Association, and Dr Rebecca Fisher, Senior Research Advisor at the Stroke Association, spoke about the charity’s research strategy and how it aims to expand its research support.

Dr Iain Marshall, Principal Investigator on the SLSR study and lead on the stroke research programme, and Dr Matthew O’Connell, co-investigator, shared the future directions for the Register. The team aims to expand the Register to include Acute Coronary Syndromes (heart attacks), create further data linkages and leverage data science to reveal how socioeconomic and environmental factors are implicated in cardiovascular disease risk, incidence, care and outcomes.

Stroke and heart disease share the same causes, and we can only understand prevention by studying both together, which is why we plan to expand the Register to include heart attacks. Thirty years of continuous, carefully collected data from the local community is what allows us to spot problems before they become crises, and to track whether our interventions are actually working. Long-term investment in this sort of local research infrastructure is therefore critical.– Dr Iain Marshall, Clinical Reader in Population Health Science at King's

This project is funded by the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) under its Programme Grants for Applied Research (NIHR202339) and is supported by the NIHR Applied Research Collaboration (ARC) South London at King’s College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust. The views expressed are those of the authors and not necessarily those of the NIHR or the Department of Health and Social Care. The study has previously received funding from many sources including The Dunhill Medical Trust, the NIHR funding streams (Programme Grants for Applied Research and Research for Patient Benefit), the European Union, the Health Foundation, the Department of Health, the Stanley Thomas Johnson Foundation, the Stroke Association, and Guy’s and St Thomas’ Charity.