Ensuring everyone affected by stroke gets the support they need

A stroke survivor with 2 colleagues holding his arms on either side supporting him, at a Life After Stroke Centre.

I couldn't walk, I couldn't talk. I was at rock bottom but with the help of the Stroke Association and my amazing support coordinators I have found there is a way to have a future, albeit different but just as rewarding.

Michael Pursey, stroke survivor

We want all stroke survivors to get the physical and emotional help they need to help them rebuild their lives.

Throughout 2021-22:

  • We maintained and extended our commissioned services in England, Wales and Northern Ireland.
  • As pandemic restrictions lifted, we increased face-to-face services, while continuing to offer phone and online support.
  • We started to improve the productivity and sustainability of our local commissioned services.

  • This year, Stroke Association Connect supported 3,496 people being discharged from 140 hospitals and stroke units.
  • Our telephone peer support service, Here For You, has helped 1,555 people since it launched in April 2020.
  • Our Helpline Team supported people with 18,106 enquiries.
  • Our online stroke support tool, My Stroke Guide, recorded 42,347 new visitors.

  • We supported 263 people through existing counselling services in Liverpool, Colchester and Northern Ireland.
  • We’re piloting Emotional Support Services around the UK to test what works and generate the evidence to influence their rollout in other parts of the UK.
  • We’re partnering with others to offer emotional support on a larger scale. For example, collaboration with Mind.
  • We were awarded £850,000 from the Elwyn Thomas memorial fund programme, to set up a five-year emotional support project for stroke survivors in Cornwall.

  • We’re working closely with stroke survivors in our Aphasia and Accessible Voices Network.
  • We’ve begun by working with the Cochrane Stroke Review Group to search the academic literature about health inequalities and stroke.
  • We launched an eight month pilot study commissioned by the Greater Manchester Integrated Stroke and Neuro-Delivery Network, which aims to improve our understanding of the impact of health inequalities on accessing support services for life after stroke.

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