Health service accused of 'abandoning' stroke victims

Suggested Topics

Stroke survivors are being "abandoned" by the NHS and denied the chance of making a proper recovery because of a lack of post-hospital care, a damming report claims today.

One of the largest ever surveys of stroke survivors in the UK reveals nearly four in 10 patients never get their treatment needs assessed after they have left hospital.

One in five said they had experienced services being withdrawn even though their needs had stayed the same or had increased, while half said the NHS did not co-ordinate well with social care services.

Without an assessment of need, stroke survivors cannot get access to services that are vital to making recovery possible. Experts suggested yesterday that cuts to funding for social care in recent NHS reforms are making matters worse.

"What the reforms are doing is increasing uncertainty," said Joe Corner, a spokesman for the Stroke Association, which carried out the report. "The problem of not getting assessments isn't a new one, but we are now finding that the funding that was available for strokes from social care budgets is drying up."

The report surveyed over 2,200 stroke sufferers and paints "a bleak picture" of care. It found 38 per cent of survivors (there are around one million in the UK) had never received an assessment of their health and social care needs, while 53 per cent of those whose stroke had occurred in the last three years have received only one assessment.

The National Stroke Strategy states that stroke survivors should receive an assessment at six weeks of leaving hospital, again at six months and then annually. The Stroke Association wants the policy to be followed.

A spokesman for the Department of Health said: "Care of stroke patients in hospital has improved dramatically over recent years with the majority of patients now treated in specialist stroke units... We have established a programme which focuses on driving up standards for stroke patients by ensuring, among other things, that patients have a joint care plan prepared for them before they leave hospital."

Independent Comment
blog comments powered by Disqus
Top stories
News in pictures
World news in pictures
UK news in pictures
UK news in pictures
More stories
       
Independent
Travel Shop
India and Shimla
14 nights from only £1899pp Find out more
Prague city break
Three nights from £199pp Find out more
4* Soreda hotel break, Malta
Seven nights all-inclusive from £399pp Find out more
Independent Dating
and  

By clicking 'Search' you
are agreeing to our
Terms of Use.

Day In a Page

James Pembroke: The man who's eaten everywhere

The man who's eaten everywhere

Few people know more about restaurants than James Pembroke, who only spent five mealtimes at home during his entire childhood.
A Berliner in 1963 – but did John F Kennedy once admire Adolf Hitler?

A Berliner in 1963 – but did John F Kennedy once admire Adolf Hitler?

The young JFK praised 'superior' Nordic races during visits to Germany
Banned Iranian director Mohammad Rasoulof to attend Cannes Film Festival 2013, his first public appearance since prison

Banned Iranian director to attend Cannes Film Festival

Mohammad Rasoulof to make his first public appearance since being imprisoned three years ago
Seeing the larger picture: Inspiring images of space

Seeing the larger picture: Inspiring images of space

An exhibition explores images how photography has shaped astronomy
Eat Spam and carry on: Wartime pamphlets could teach us a thing or two about healthy, thrifty eating

Eat Spam and carry on

Wartime pamphlets could teach us a thing or two about healthy, thrifty eating
Facial hair: Cat beards and the purrrsuit of excellence

Facial hair

Cat beards and the purrrsuit of excellence
The 10 Best salt and pepper sets

The 10 Best salt and pepper sets

Whether they're for everyday use or to make your dining table look just right, it's worth getting a stylish shaker...
Ferran Soriano: Predicting success if Manchester City 'vision' is followed

Ferran Soriano: Predicting success if Manchester City 'vision' is followed

Chief executive says trophies will come if a 'core' of suitable players is in place
Thomas Müller: We couldn't handle losing a Champions League Final again

Thomas Müller: We couldn't handle losing a Champions League Final again

The Bayern Munich forward tells Tim Rich his side have to shed chokers' tag after two recent final defeats
Giro d'Italia: The Stelvio Pass - cycling's killer climb

The Stelvio Pass - cycling's killer climb

As the Giro d'Italia tackles the brutal climb, Simon Usborne takes on the snow and switchbacks – and soon realises what the fuss is about
National archives: Edward VIII’s phone calls - and how MI5 bugged them

Edward VIII’s phone calls - and how MI5 bugged them

Newly unearthed papers reveal a shocking extra dimension to the constitutional crisis over monarch’s abdication
Sent down at the Old Bailey: A tour of the world's most famous court

Sent down at the Old Bailey

A tour of the world's most famous court
Hollywood's random acts of red-carpet kindness

Hollywood's random acts of red-carpet kindness

The Hangover actor Zach Galifianakis’s date for his movie premieres isn’t arm candy  – it’s his 87-year-old friend who he saved from homelessness
British football scores an own goal

British football scores an own goal

Many managers barely survive a year in post. Martin Baker talks to experts who make a case for clubs using forensic business skills to find the best staff
James Lawton: Sergio Garcia cracks as major fault line opens up again

James Lawton

Sergio Garcia cracks as major fault line opens up again