Healthwatch teams work together to hear experiences of stroke care
Healthwatch Shropshire and Healthwatch Telford & Wrekin are inviting people to share their experiences of stroke care.
Healthwatch Shropshire, Healthwatch Telford & Wrekin, Healthwatch Stoke-on-Trent and Healthwatch Staffordshire are inviting people to share their experiences of stroke care. This includes patients, carers, family members and anyone who has supported someone after a stroke.
They are asking for feedback on all parts of stroke care. This includes diagnosis, hospital treatment, rehabilitation and the support people receive after leaving hospital, whether from the NHS, charities or community groups.
People often receive care across different areas. For example, some patients from Shropshire may be treated in Stoke. By working together, the four Healthwatch teams can build a clearer picture of what is working well and where things could be improved
This work is especially important right now. Some stroke support services are facing funding changes, and this may affect the help people receive during recovery. Hearing real experiences will help show what difference this makes.
Lynn Cawley, Chief Officer at Healthwatch Shropshire, said “This is a chance for people to come together and share their views to help shape future services.” She added that “listening to people’s experiences is key to improving care.”
Jan Suckling, Chief Officer at Healthwatch Telford & Wrekin, said: “Recovering from a stroke doesn’t end when someone leaves hospital. We want to understand how well ongoing support is working for people as well, and where there may be gaps, so services can better meet people’s needs.”
Sarah Adderley, Associate Director for the Midlands at the Stroke Association, said that they welcomed the work as it highlights how vital ongoing support is:
“Feedback from the stroke community we serve is incredibly valuable and we are consistently told how valuable personalised stroke recovery services are for survivors in the area.
“While currently, 280 people have a stroke every day in the UK, which is one person every five minutes, we expect the number of people to have a first or second stroke to only increase.
"We are encouraging more people in the community to share their experiences through this Healthwatch initiative, to ensure that they continue to receive the right levels of support into the future.”
You can share your experience online or by calling 01743 237 884 or 01952 739 540.
