The real betrayal is that only 10% of stroke survivors get to almost full recovery. Where is the hue and cry about that?
Betrayal of stroke patients: Sufferers are forced to wait months for NHS rehab >
Stroke victims are having to wait more than four months for physiotherapy after leaving hospital, according to a report.
The delays have a ‘devastating’ impact on patients’ recovery and undo previous painstaking hard work, experts say.
Around
152,000 UK adults suffer a stroke each year and some are left paralysed
on one side of the body or very weak in their limbs.
They have to relearn basic movements through physiotherapy sessions involving repetitive exercises.
Research
by the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy found 85 per cent of health
trusts do not offer stroke victims physiotherapy within two weeks of
leaving hospital. A fifth make them wait at least 13 weeks and 4 per
cent cannot offer sessions until after 18 weeks.
The
society’s Catherine Pope said: ‘The results of this audit are a stark
reminder that too many patients are being let down once they leave
hospital.
‘Effective
rehabilitation gives people back their independence, allowing them to
return to work or simply to resume everyday activities.’
She
added: ‘It is crucial that it is regular and timely in those early
days, and then on an ongoing, longer-term basis, it is important that
patients can access that expert advice and support to help them manage
their condition.
‘The
consequences of missing out on care can be devastating so it is
essential that greater attention is paid to ensuring the excellence seen
in some areas is available to all.’
Dominic Brand, of the Stroke Association, has called the NHS figures 'extremely concerning'
The research involved Freedom of Information requests to all 209 clinical commissioning groups in England, of which 135 replied.
Dominic Brand, a spokesman for the Stroke Association, described the findings as ‘extremely concerning’.
‘Major
strides have been made in the way stroke is treated in hospital(not really, you are doing nothing about the neuronal cascade of death);
however, it is clear that far too many stroke survivors are going
without the right support,’ he said.
‘Stroke
survivors regularly tell us they have had to wait weeks – and in some
cases months – for the support and therapy they need to rebuild their
lives.
‘For
too many people, their support comes too late, it stops too soon, or
they don’t have access to all types of therapy they need.’
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