Stroke victims forced to pay for rehab as services absent

Stroke victims are being forced to pay privately for vital rehabilitation such as physiotherapy and speech and language therapy because services in the community are so poor.

The deficits in community care for sufferers of stroke, highlighted in a National Stroke Survivors Survey, found more than one-third are forced to fork out for rehabilitation once they leave hospital.

In addition, almost nine out of 10 are getting no psychological service and a third have no access to physiotherapy, according to the research carried out by the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland (RCSI) and the Irish Heart Foundation (IHF).