Fewer than one in 15 stroke survivors are receiving enough rehabilitation therapy to give them the best chance of recovery, according to a report described as "damning" by the Stroke Association.

Only 6.4% of survivors are getting the amount of therapy the NHS should provide to maximise their chances of regaining physical and mental function, the report found. The charity said the widespread lack of rehabilitation was hindering patients' recovery.

Rehabilitation after a stroke typically includes physiotherapy, occupational therapy and speech and language therapy. The sessions help survivors relearn basic skills such as walking, talking and eating, and to regain their independence.

What the guidelines recommend

Guidance from the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) says people who have had a stroke should be offered combined therapies for at least three hours a day, five days a week. An earlier guideline, published in 2013, recommended at least 45 minutes of each relevant therapy, five days a week.

NICE itself has acknowledged that current practice is inconsistent and that the recommended amount of therapy is not always provided. Its updated guidance, published in 2023, raised the recommended amount after evidence showed that more intensive rehabilitation improved quality of life and the ability to carry out daily activities.

A long-running shortfall

The gap between what is recommended and what patients receive is not new. Data from the Sentinel Stroke National Audit Programme for 2016 to 2017 showed that, on average, stroke survivors received only around a third of the therapy recommended at the time, the equivalent of about 16 minutes of physiotherapy, 16 minutes of occupational therapy and 12 minutes of speech and language therapy a day.

Almost two-thirds of stroke survivors leave hospital with a disability, according to the Stroke Association. In 2018, the charity said the amount of therapy survivors received once they returned home was woefully inadequate and jeopardised their recoveries.

Around 100,000 people in the UK have a stroke each year, and about 1.3 million people are living as stroke survivors, according to the Stroke Association.

The latest findings add to pressure on the NHS to improve rehabilitation services, at a time when the health service is also preparing for the pressures of winter. The charity has previously called on local health commissioners to prioritise meeting the recommended standards of rehabilitation therapy so that survivors can make their best recovery and rebuild their lives.