Is time running out for community stroke care?

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Cells 'resistant to stroke damage'

In the amount of time it took you to log onto your computer and open this article, someone in the UK will have had a stroke.

On average, that person will be in hospital for the next 28 days. They are likely to suffer ongoing physical, psychological, sensory and social complications, potentially for the rest of their life.

There's a 40-50 per cent chance that, in a year's time, they will still be reliant upon someone else for their day-to-day activities, and nearly a one in three chance that they will be depressed.

In 2005 the National Audit Office (NAO) published a ground-breaking report exposing the lack of priority given to stroke services in the UK, and the unnecessary suffering that this is causing stroke survivors across the country.

However, it is certainly true that, since then, the government has upped its game. The 2007 National Stroke Strategy for England (NSS) set out how the UK could reform its stroke provisions, and came with £105m extra funding over three years to get the ball rolling.

In 2010 the NAO looked again at stroke services in the UK, and concluded that a considerable amount of progress has been made. However, it agured that improvements in the acute care delivered in the immediate aftermath of a stroke have not been matched by provisions for long-term, community care.

This issue is something that Phil Willis MP will be addressing in his adjournment debate today, specifically focussing on the example of stroke services in North Yorkshire.

Harrogate and Craven received Local Authority funding in 2008 for a community Family and Carer Support Service, run by The Stroke Association. Since 2008, this has helped over 350 stroke survivors and their families handle the long-term complications of a stroke.

When NSS funding was allocated in 2008 the pioneering work in Harrogate was replicated across North Yorkshire, providing invaluable care and support for thousands of people. However, last year North Yorkshire County Council announced that it would not be renewing funding for Harrogate's service when its initial contract runs out in March, presenting a real threat that the service will close.

National Stroke Strategy funding comes to an end in March 2011, and the Department of Health have stated that they are anticipating Local Authorities picking up the bill for continuing community stroke services from that point. However, the Harrogate example should serve as an early warning – The Stroke Association believe that 50-60 community stroke services will be facing closure this time next year, unless something is done.

Phil Willis will be using an adjournment debate to ask the Minister to seek reassurance that Local Authorities will continue to fund these vital community services when NSS funding ends next year, despite the current squeeze on both Local Authority and NHS budgets.

The government's progress so far has been impressive; it seems that the major mistake that they've made is to naively expect all Local Authorities to recognise that, and to allocate funds accordingly.