Neuro Rehab Nutrition

Tony Ward, RD MSc

Tony Ward is a Clinical Dietitian and Director of ‘Neuro Rehab Nutrition’ (NRN) specialising in brain and spinal injury clients as well as other neurological conditions. He works closely with his clients, their families, support workers and case managers. These, and others, form a multidisciplinary team to enable the client to reach their rehabilitation goals which helps that person to potentially lead a normal healthy life. He is registered in the UK with the Health Professional Council as well as in the USA with the Commission on Dietetic Registration.

Tony has 15 Years’ experience working in the NHS and around the world, where he has managed teams and development departments. He has extensive experience in Neurology and head injuries, which he gained whilst working at the Salford Royal Hospital as well as the King Edward VII hospital and Mid-Atlantic Wellness Institute in Bermuda where he developed a nutrition rehabilitation program. His other areas of expertise are diabetes, cardiac, gastroenterology, trauma and renal.

He has experience in working with residential and nursing homes in the UK and has spoken at the Kings Fund , Digital Health Congress about nutrition in care homes and the benefits of digitizing menus. Tony has a keen interest in sport and has gained a BSc in Sport and Exercise Science before going on to complete an Msc in nutrition and a PgD in Dietetics. He is a keen sportsman and has 3 international caps with Bermuda playing the 2015 Rugby World Cup qualifiers. He also enjoys playing golf, tennis, cross-fit, swimming, running and cycling. The list goes on.

Tony is a massive lover of food and loves to cook and develop meals. He also loves to make foods from scratch such as cold smoked salmon, biltong, kimchi and kombucha.

Debra Edson, MNUtr

Debra Edson, a registered Dietitian MNUtr, Diploma in advanced dietetics. 

Debra is a Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC) registered dietitian and associate dietitian with the Neuro Rehab Nutrition team. She gained a Masters degree from Nottingham University in 2007 and went on to complete her advanced diploma in dietetic care. During her time as a dietitian with the NHS Debra has worked in the acute setting including intensive care, cardiac, liver, stroke and stroke rehabilitation.  Her outpatients and clinical work has included diabetes types 1 and 2.  In the community she has held a clinical caseload of head and neck cancer clients and she has worked with a complex care at home team.  Debra’s career has had an emphasis on mental health and community care and she has also worked in the high secure environment. 

Debra is trained in client centred care and finds working with clients in their home environment allows her to fully appreciate the complexities of their ability to provide good nutrition for themselves. Tailoring healthy eating advice to be both enjoyable and achievable for the client is the main goal, and ensuring they have the skills and equipment are all part of the service. 

“My job is to help you to provide your body with everything it needs to stay healthy, ideally through food and drink. Whilst doing this I take into account your medical background and what you enjoy doing, but most importantly what you like to eat” says Debra, “we work on small, achievable changes that become healthy habits for life”. 

After her time with the NHS Debra now works part time, preferring to have fewer clients who she feels she can fully focus on and support. Her approach is a steady, calm and pragmatic, meeting clients wherever they are in their health journey and supporting them at that point.