Report finds individuals recovering from a stroke are often denied vital health and care services

According to a report published today, stroke survivors say their recovery is being hindered by a lack of post hospital care and poor cooperation of health and social care services.

The Stroke Association report, Struggling to recover, is based on a survey taken of over 2,200 people affected by having a stroke; an attack that happens when the blood supply is cut off and causes a clot or bleeding in the brain.

The report revealed that 38 percent of those affected by a stroke have not received an assessment of their health and social care needs, and over half of those who have had a stroke in the last three years have only received one assessment from the health and social care services. The Stroke Association sees assessments as vital to people achieving the best possible recovery, and the National Stroke Strategy has stated that people should receve an assessment at six weeks of leaving hospital, again at six months, and then every year after.

Jon Barrick, chief executive at the Stroke Association said:

“More people than ever are surviving a stroke and that’s a welcome improvement."

"But many stroke survivors tell us that after all the effort to save their lives they then feel abandoned when they return home."

"The NHS and local authorities are failing in their responsibilities to provide appropriate and timely support to stroke survivors and their families; and the growing evidence of cuts for people currently getting services is very worrying.”

The report further uncovered that almost half of survivors receiving services said that health and social services did not work well together - forcing families and their care network to take on more responsibility than they should have to.

According to the charity, around 150,000 people have a stroke in the UK every year. As the leading cause of severe adult disability, there are over one million people in the country living with the effects. While the report paints a bleak picture of many survivors and their chances of recovery, the Stroke Association hopes that it will act as a call to the NHS to review assessment strategies regularly and ensure that they seek to coordinate health and social care services to enable individuals to better manage life as they begin to recover.