Stroke Association supports updated NICE stroke quality standard.

The Stroke Association welcomes and supports the updated stroke quality standard. Over 150,000 strokes occur every year in the UK and we know that around half will result in a disability, so it’s crucial that there are strong, ambitious quality markers around stroke treatment and care.

During the consultation process for this updated standard, we fed in our views and made a particularly strong call for the emotional, psychological and cognitive effects of stroke to be addressed by the quality standard. Over half of stroke survivors feel depressed, and two thirds experience anxiety as a result of their stroke. That’s why we welcome the inclusion of a quality statement specifically on access to a clinical psychologist. We hope this additional support will help more people get the urgent psychological support they need when recovering from a stroke.

The standard on the regular reviewing of health and social care needs is also much-needed, as this is an area with plenty of scope for improvement. Currently, fewer than a quarter stroke survivors receive six month assessments of their care needs, and as a result, many stroke survivors tell us that leaving hospital is like “falling off a cliff.”