A ‘damning’ report shows just 6.4% of patients in England, Wales and Northern Ireland receive three hours of therapy a day, at least five days a week.
The treatment is recommended to help people recover from a stroke, which can cause difficulties walking, speaking and swallowing.
Figures from the latest Sentinel Stroke National Audit Programme (SSNAP) report show the amount of people receiving the therapy fell from 7.5% at the end of 2024.
The research shows patients received an average of 40 minutes of therapy a day between January and March. The lowest daily average was 15.2 minutes, while even patients receiving the most therapy got an average of just 57.3 minutes.
Published on Monday (9 November), the report also highlighted only 68% of patients continued to receive rehabilitation support after leaving hospital.
Juliet Bouverie, chief executive of Stroke Association, said: ‘These damning figures expose the deeply troubling reality that too many vulnerable stroke survivors are being left without the care and support they need, both in the critical days after their stroke and in the months and years that follow.’
‘The brain injury caused by a stroke can change every aspect of a person’s life in an instant and last for a lifetime,’ she continued. ‘Stroke is both a medical emergency and a long-term condition which touches on almost every aspect of NHS and social care.
‘Yet too often, our health and care system focuses on treating the emergency rather than considering the importance of what comes after that – and these shocking statistics reveal the true extent of that.’
Guidelines from the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence recommend three hours of physiotherapy, speech and language therapy and occupational therapy each day for stroke patients.
The guidance applies to both people in hospital and those recovering at home.
Bouverie added rehabilitation services were ‘already overstretched to breaking point’.
According to the charity, stroke costs the UK an estimated £25.7bn a year. More than half of this (£13.7bn) is spent on social care, while £6.7bn is linked to lost earnings and relatives having to give up work to care for their loved ones.
Speaking to The Guardian, a spokesperson from the Department of Health and Social Care emphasised how the NHS and government is working hard to provide support.
‘Hundreds of people every day suffer a stroke, and the NHS is working hard to get them the rapid support and long-term rehabilitation they will often require’, they said.
‘In our 10-year health plan last year, we pledged to reduce premature mobility from heart disease and stroke by a quarter within a decade, and our cardiovascular disease modern service framework, published in July, aims to accelerate that progress.’
Image: Towfiqu barbhuiya/UnSplash
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