The Stroke Association has published a report about the level of after-care patients who have had strokes receive. I can identify with the frustrations of the Association and patients affected.
The new thrombolytic treatments and emergency response are indeed saving lives, but a lot more unglamourous work needs to be done in the follow-up. There are no block-buster drugs and a limited selection of technology to rely on that can replicate good care. The after-care requires a significant infrastructure and human hours - which is always going to difficult to source and fund.
The time after a discharge can be the scariest part of any episode of ill health - with no medical staff on hand. It is important to save lives in A&E, but equally important to provide those survivors with a quality of life that is worth the investment in life-saving treatments - which requires human time. Fighting the stroke, or any health condition, in A&E should be the very beginning of a care plan. The issues highlighted by the Stroke Association are sadly not unique, and could apply to the sentiments of many patients with a range of conditions.
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