'Poor aftercare' for stroke victims

Insufficient care upon leaving hospital is preventing stroke survivors from making the best possible recoveries, a new report suggests.

Some 38% of survivors who were questioned in the Struggling to Recover study by the Stroke Association said that they had not been assessed on their health and care needs to help them with their recovery.

And 53% of those who had suffered a stroke in the last three years said they had only received one assessment.

The number of people who suffer a stroke in the UK every year stands at around 150,000 and more than a million are living with the effects of stroke.

The Stroke Association said that patients who are not assessed as frequently as they should be are missing out on services that are vital to them making the fullest possible recovery. 
         
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.'

Copyright Press Association 2012