Gloucestershire charity says stroke after-care is crucial
The Stroke Association say they’re concerned over the decline in stroke after-care
The Stroke association says thousands of stroke survivors are missing out on timely vital speech assessments.
A new poll of stroke care found that just under a quarter (24.8%) of stroke patients received a speech and language therapy assessment within 24 hours of arrival at hospital, and less than half get this check within 72 hours.
The Stroke Association said that around a third of stroke survivors will suffer aphasia - a language and communication disability, which leaves people struggling to speak, read, write or understand language.
According to the latest data from the Sentinel Stroke National Audit Programme, the amount of time spent delivering speech and language therapy in hospital has declined by 10% in the last five years.
The charity is calling for all stroke patients to get the recommended levels of speech and language therapy and for stroke survivors to have a six-month review.
It’s after the figures suggest that only 39% were given this "vital" assessment in the last three months to 2024.
Juliet Bouverie, chief executive of the Stroke Association, said: "It is unacceptable that vital speech and language therapy assessments for stroke survivors have declined in recent years.
"Losing the ability to communicate after a stroke can be one of the scariest and most unsettling aspects in the early stages after a stroke.
"In the long-term, speech and language therapy plays a huge part in boosting a stroke survivor's overall quality of life to support good mental health by helping to ensure they can enjoy the simple pleasure of communication.
"Whilst the skill, effort and true dedication of the NHS workforce cannot be questioned, there is a real and urgent need to recruit, train and retain more staff who can provide rehabilitation tailored to the needs of individual stroke survivors for as long as they need it."
ReConnect Gloucestershire supports those in the county who have had strokes and allows them to connect with others who are going through the same thing.
Coryn Memory, Director and CEO, told Greatest Hits Radio that losing speech abilities can lead to feeling isolated.
“If you’ve got aphasia and communications really difficult for you it is so isolating.
“You might be able to walk,and you might be able to walk into the village and go to the café, but you can’t order a cup of tea.
“So people just tend to stay in.
“We’ve had reports of people that have had strokes and their speech is slurred because of their aphasia.
“And the bus drivers have kicked them off busses because they think they’re drunk and things like that.
“And they’re like, this is how I talk, and it’s so embarrassing for people.”
She added that continued assessments of speech therapy is vital in seeing how a person may have improved.
“From the day you’ve had your stroke to 6 months down the line, you’re going to be in a very different place to the day you had your stroke.
“Your speech may have got a bit better it may have got a little bit worse.”
A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said: "We are committed to improving stroke prevention, treatment, and recovery through our 10 Year Health Plan, including making sure we have the right staff in the right place to deliver the care patients need when they need it."