NHS ‘postcode lottery rehabilitation’ failing stroke patients

A report has warned that because the NHS offers too little rehabilitation for patients discharged from hospitals, they are failing to recover sufficiently from a heart attack or stroke.

According to the report from charity Sue Ryder, the Royal College of Occupational Therapists and the Chartered Society of Physiotherapists, ‘patchy provision’ means patients with multiple sclerosis, arthritis and other long-term conditions are also missing out on care, which can make a significant difference to their health and quality of life.

The report specified a ‘postcode lottery’ in community rehabilitation availability in England, leading to ‘devastating consequences’ for patients who have recently been treated in hospital or have been diagnosed with a serious illness, including cancer.

Rehabilitation regularly involves physiotherapy to improve a patient’s mobility. Karen Middleton, chief executive of the Chartered Society of Physiotherapists, said “Everyone should get the rehab they need to live life to the full and be as independent as possible. It’s not acceptable that we are missing opportunities to improve lives.”

The Stroke Association’s head of policy, Charlotte Nicholls, said “There are thousands of stroke survivors being let down by the health and social care system when they leave hospital because of a postcode lottery for physiotherapy and rehabilitation services that desperately needs fixing.

“We hear stories of stroke survivors who were told they would never walk, feed themselves or hold a pencil again being able to do all of these things after sustained rehabilitation and hard work from teams of specialists. These life-improving gains are being denied to people who cannot access rehabilitation services.”

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Posted by Tony May, Partner/head of Clinical Negligence Department, Chadwick Lawrence LLP (tonymay@chadlaw.co.uk ), medical negligence lawyers and clinical negligence solicitors in Huddersfield, Leeds, Wakefield and Halifax, West Yorkshire.

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