Deans' stroke musings: March and April in the media - staff shortages, first contact physiotherapy and fit notes

Changing stroke rehab and research worldwide now.Time is Brain! trillions and trillions of neurons that DIE each day because there are NO effective hyperacute therapies besides tPA(only 12% effective). I have 523 posts on hyperacute therapy, enough for researchers to spend decades proving them out. These are my personal ideas and blog on stroke rehabilitation and stroke research. Do not attempt any of these without checking with your medical provider. Unless you join me in agitating, when you need these therapies they won't be there.

What this blog is for:

My blog is not to help survivors recover, it is to have the 10 million yearly stroke survivors light fires underneath their doctors, stroke hospitals and stroke researchers to get stroke solved. 100% recovery. The stroke medical world is completely failing at that goal, they don't even have it as a goal. Shortly after getting out of the hospital and getting NO information on the process or protocols of stroke rehabilitation and recovery I started searching on the internet and found that no other survivor received useful information. This is an attempt to cover all stroke rehabilitation information that should be readily available to survivors so they can talk with informed knowledge to their medical staff. It lays out what needs to be done to get stroke survivors closer to 100% recovery. It's quite disgusting that this information is not available from every stroke association and doctors group.

Thursday, May 7, 2026

March and April in the media - staff shortages, first contact physiotherapy and fit notes

Staff shortages are NOT the overriding problem! Lack of 100% recovery protocols SHOULD BE THE FOCUS! GET THERE!

March and April in the media - staff shortages, first contact physiotherapy and fit notes

Staff shortages

In April, the CSP and the Association of Chartered Physiotherapists in Neurology (ACPIN) warned that stroke patients are being failed because of lack of NHS stroke rehab staff.

The Guardian ran a substantial article and a Press Association article was picked up by over 100 news websites, including The Independent.

The Independent also ran their own case study article: ‘I was left to crawl up the stairs’: NHS stroke service staffing crisis ‘leaving people with lifelong disabilities’

CSP Director, Ash James, was quoted in the media, saying:Something is going seriously wrong in our health system if the NHS is failing to turn workforce growth into the posts required to meet even the minimum standards for stroke rehabilitation.(This minimum standard is 100% recovery and you blithering idiots aren't even working on that! Comeupuppance is going to be a real bitch for you when you are the 1 in 4 per WHO that has a stroke! )

‘It is deeply concerning that our members are going above and beyond to advocate for their patients and secure the staffing they need, only to have their concerns dismissed.’

Sara Hazzard, CSP assistant director and co chair of the Community Rehabilitation Alliance, was interviewed by LBC News alongside a patient, David, who spoke about his own experience of stroke rehabilitation. You can listen to that interview here.

And later in April, the press team secured a broadcast package with ITV Meridien news - to further highlight stroke staffing shortfalls, which again featured stroke patient David. The piece included an interview with CSP’s Sara Hazzard.