Nov. 3, 2012, 3 a.m.
REHABILITATION services for patients who have suffered a stroke are unavailable or substandard, a national audit has shown.
Figures released exclusively to Fairfax Media show large numbers of patients are not receiving optimal care after a stroke due to treatment gaps that are compromising their recovery.
About 350,000 Australians are living with stroke, making it the country's second biggest cause of death and a major cause of adult disability.
A National Stroke Foundation audit of rehabilitation services provided to 2821 patients at 111 hospitals across Australia last year has shown:
One in three patients did not receive tailored information about stroke recovery;
One in three patients were not referred for further rehabilitation on discharge from hospital;
Half of hospitals did not routinely provide any kind of discharge plan for patients;
Two in three patients did not receive formal counselling, and half did not undergo any mood assessment.
The National Stroke Foundation chief executive, Erin Lalor, said the figures showed that people were suffering unnecessarily because stroke rehabilitation services were too often inadequate.
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Stroke rehabilitation inadequate for many patients