BISCUSSIONS

Natalie Mackenzie and Eky from BIS Services welcome their studio guest, Elizabeth Nightingale, founder of Nightingale NMT, to discuss neurologic music therapy (NMT) in brain injury rehabilitation. Elizabeth shares her background, training, and how NMT differs from traditional music therapy through standardised techniques and a functional assessment-led "transformational design model," using music...

In this BIScussions episode, Natalie and Eky discuss key differences between BIS Services' medico-legal  and statutory/NHS/local authority-funded brain injury support, focusing on funding constraints, inconsistent information at referral, and gaps in specialist understanding.   They describe how statutory packages often provide minimal hours with high expectations, limited MDT involvement, infrequ...

In this episode of "BIScussions," Natalie and Eky are joined by Mike, BIS's talent acquisition manager, to discuss recruitment challenges in brain injury community support and why getting it right matters for client outcomes. They explain BIS's focus on hiring psychology graduates, the importance of balancing academic knowledge with soft skills, and how CV screening, a demanding application form,...

In this BIScussions episode, Natalie and Eky are joined by Cam, BIS's ILT coordinator, to explain independent living trials (ILTs) for people after brain injury: their purpose, how BIS runs them, and the staffing, evidence, and practical challenges involved. They describe ILTs as structured, safe opportunities for positive risk-taking that establish a client's long-term support needs, with success...

In this episode of BIScussions, Natalie and Eky explore the varied role of CRAs in neuro rehab and focus on supporting clients with brain injuries on holidays, including unusual activity requests and the "can-do" ethos of making goals possible within safe parameters. They describe how holidays can reveal increased cognitive challenges, reduced insight, sensory overload, and changing behaviours, ma...

In this episode of "Biscussions," Natalie & Eky revisit pregnancy and brain injury, focusing on challenges when clients become pregnant after injury and on parenting from birth through adulthood. They discuss the complex role of community rehabilitation assistants (CRAs) in scaffolding parenting without overstepping, gaps in professional understanding (including medical staff), and the need for mo...

Eky Popat's Journey: From Rehab Assistant to Operations Director at BIS Services Natalie Mackenzie introduces Biscussions and spotlights Eky Popat, BIS Services' operations director and registered manager, exploring her 15-year journey in brain injury rehabilitation. Eky shares studying psychology and child psychology, realising school work felt too routine, and applying widely before joining BIS...

Ep. 1: Celebrating 20 Years of BIS Services & Why We Started   In the first episode of BIScussions, Natalie introduces BIS Services and launches the podcast to mark the company's 20th year since being founded in 2006. She shares how BIS began after the brain injury charity she worked for became insolvent, leading her and co-founder Clive Jarrett to quickly set up Brain Injury Support and continue...

Natalie Mackenzie, founder and cognitive rehabilitation therapist at The BiS Services, and Eky, operations and registered manager, introduce "BIScussions," a podcast focused on brain injury support, community-based cognitive rehabilitation, and raising industry standards. Marking The BIS Services' 20th anniversary since its 2006 founding, they describe the organisation's growth and its consistent...