Have you responded yet to the stoke and breast cancer treatment consultations yet ?
“The long term needs of hundreds of stroke survivors in South Down and South Armagh are not currently being met and there is a danger that after the current Stroke Consultation they will continue to be neglected.”
That was the warning from Neil Johnston from Northern Ireland Chest Heart and Stroke speaking as the closing date for the Stroke Consultation, 2 August, approaches.
He added: “To date the public’s attention has been very much focused on what happens in the first 72 hours after a stroke and where those services are located. It is important to remember that there are nearly 40,000 stroke survivors across Northern Ireland including many in the Newry area and they need support – often long-term.”
Mr Johnston pointed out that following a stroke it is estimated that over a third of patients need and will benefit from, on-going support from the health service. He said: “People need support. They may need physiotherapy, speech and language therapy and occupational therapy. It is recognised that the current service is unable to meet the longer term needs that exist. This is very disheartening because we know that with the right support many people can make significant improvements.
“We in NI Chest, Heart and Stroke are concerned that the consultation exercise does not contain enough detail about how these needs will be addressed and we urge the public when they are responding to the consultation to press for more detail on this area and for extra resources.
“We know from the people who attend our support groups and programmes, such as the one in Newry, that there is both significant need and that with the right support many people can, through teamwork, learn to manage their condition.
“Therefore it is vitally important that the needs of stroke survivors receive as much attention from this consultation exercise as the debate about which hospital buildings are used to deliver services”.
Related article: https://downnews.co.uk/calls-to-respond-to-stroke-consultation/
