Geraldine O'Callaghan, PhD
Physiotherapist Specialising in Rehabilitation and Care Transitions
Supporting Healthcare Organisations and Teams With Bespoke, Evidence-Based Rehabilitation and Care Transition Solutions
About Geraldine – Founder, Next Steps Rehab
Geraldine O'Callaghan, PhD, is a physiotherapist and health consultant with over two decades of experience in rehabilitation and care transitions. She brings a rare combination of clinical insight, strategic policy experience, and a deep commitment to co-designing better health systems.
At Next Steps Rehab, we are dedicated to supporting individuals and healthcare organisations to navigate the complexities of recovery and transition with tailored, effective solutions.
Geraldine O’Callaghan bridges clinical excellence and strategic transformation.
With over two decades of experience spanning acute hospitals, inpatient rehabilitation, and community care, she brings a system-wide perspective to improving care transitions and rehabilitation outcomes.
Her background blends advanced clinical expertise in neurology, gerontology, and population health with specialist training in leadership, project management, and collaborative design methods such as World Café and Liberating Structures.
Through Next Steps Rehab, Geraldine partners with healthcare teams to:
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Move from policy to practice, turning strategies into sustainable, people-centred models of care
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Embed co-designed service improvements that reflect lived experience and evidence
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Strengthen Public and Patient Involvement (PPI) across transformation efforts
Whether developing recovery-focused frameworks, facilitating cross-sector collaboration, or leading service redesigns, Geraldine delivers thoughtful, practical solutions rooted in evidence, compassion, and lasting impact.
ABOUT NEXT STEPS REHAB
Next Steps Rehab helps healthcare services redesign rehabilitation and care transitions to better serve patients, teams, and communities.
We bring together clinical insight, strategic thinking, and co-design methodologies to support transformation across the continuum of care—from hospital to home.
Our work focuses on:
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Developing and embedding context specific recovery-oriented models such as Discharge to Recover then Assess (D2RA)
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Integrating PPI into service design, delivery, and governance
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Translating national priorities into local, workable action plans
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Facilitating workshops and service redesigns to unlock system-level change
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Building capability through training, supervision, and tailored consultancy
At Next Steps Rehab, we collaborate with healthcare professionals, policy teams, and community partners to identify what’s working, reimagine what’s possible, and create the conditions for sustainable, meaningful change.
The Results We Deliver:
At Next Steps Rehab, our work leads to:
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Reduced delays and safer discharges through better rehab planning
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Stronger continuity across acute and community settings
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More inclusive, effective service design through embedded PPI
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Greater staff confidence and capability in delivering recovery-oriented care
Whether you're at the start of a transformation journey or looking to strengthen what's already in motion, we're here to help you take the next step.
SERVICES
Service Transformation & Pathway Design
Collaborative redesign of rehabilitation and care‑transition pathways—from acute, to rehab, to community. We translate national and local priorities (e.g. Sláintecare) into actionable, sustainable models tailored to your context.
We help you to:
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Audit current processes to identify gaps in pathways, discharge, coordination
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Co-design streamlined, recovery‑focused systems with all stakeholders
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Deliver turnkey transformation plans that move from policy into practice
Collaborative Co‑Design & Facilitation
Transformative workshops using World Café, Liberating Structures, Design Thinking, and tailored approaches to drive meaningful and inclusive solutions.
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Engage cross-sector teams, patients, families, and leaders in shared problem-solving
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Concretely shape tools, agreements, and commitments that can be implemented
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Build internal facilitation capability for future innovation
Policy Development & Implementation Support
Creation of bespoke policy frameworks, with a clear bridge to operationalisation.
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Develop strategic and operational policies (e.g., D2RA, PPI integration)
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Facilitate iterative stakeholder engagement to enhance buy‑in and co‑ownership
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Offer implementation coaching and review to support effective embedment and evaluation
Education, Leadership & Capacity Building
Tailored training, mentoring, and supervision designed to enhance team skills and resilience.
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Recovery‑focused clinical training in acute, rehab, and community settings
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Leadership development and group supervision for therapists and service leads
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Education on PPI, integrated care, pathway optimisation, and practice improvement
Health Services Research & System Mapping
Evidence-based insight to pinpoint inefficiencies and underpin transformation efforts.
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Conduct pathway mapping and service audits to inform decision-making
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Evaluate service models and their impact on clinical, economic, and patient outcomes
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Present insights in clear, accessible formats to guide strategy and funding decisions
Why Work With Us
Whether you're at the start of a transformation journey or scaling an existing initiative, Next Steps Rehab is here to partner with you. Contact us to explore how we can co-create solutions that deliver measurable change for your organisation and the people you serve.
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Practical depth—clinical, research, policy, and implementation experience
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Co-design at the core—built-in collaboration keeps tools relevant and usable
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Commitment to impact—we’re not just here to write strategy, but to help bring it to life
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Flexible delivery—in-person immersion, hybrid facilitation, or remote working to suit your context
TESTIMONIALS
Fiona Keogan, Transformation Lead, St James's Hospital
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Alison Enright, Director of SCoPE, St James's Hospital
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GET IN TOUCH
For inquiries about our services or to discuss your organisation's needs, feel free to contact us. We are here to support your rehabilitation initiatives.
PHONE
+353 85 121 7559
ADDRESS
Rhine View, Ballymore, Granard
Co. Longford. Ireland