Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the importance of Stroke Recovery Services to stroke survivors and their families.

The NHS Long Term Plan, published on 7 January 2019, made an assessment of improving stroke services, including better stroke rehabilitation services and increased access to specialist stroke units.

Following that assessment, the Integrated Community Stroke Service (ICSS) model published in February 2022, coordinates the transfer of care of stroke survivors from hospital, and provides home-based stroke rehabilitation through a specialist multidisciplinary team structure. It provides an integrated seven days per week service, providing early supported discharge, high-intensive and needs-based community stroke rehabilitation and disability management.

The National Health Service has a robust audit process to monitor and improve acute stroke care within the Sentinel Stroke National Audit Programme. This data is regularly reviewed and informs the programme’s priorities and plays a pivotal role in supporting quality improvement.