Post-stroke care is failing to help thousands of stroke survivors recover, as the number of patients receiving vital six-month reviews has fallen to its lowest level in over six years, according to new research.

Data from the Sentinel Stork National Audit Programme for April 2024 to March 2025 found that less than half (35%) of patients had their six months follow-up to discuss their progress following a stroke, continuing a downward trend since 2019/20, when the figure stood at 46%.

The research, which looked at patient recovery at these six-month reviews, also found 64% of stroke survivors had ongoing problems doing their usual activities, 47% had anxiety or depression, and 62% struggled with mobility.

The Stroke Association has also warned that thrombectomy, a clot-busting procedure designed to reduce the chances of a stroke survivor being left with a disability, is reaching less than half of all eligible patients, with access limited by a postcode lottery.

The charity is concerned that thousands of stroke survivors fail to get the help they need to mentally and physically recover from stroke, as set out by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) and the national clinical guidelines for stroke.

Juliet Bouverie OBE, CEO of the Stroke Association, said: “Stroke changes a person’s life in an instant with far-reaching repercussions for many. It requires treatments including physiotherapy, speech and language therapy, and mental health support. The fact that 65% of stroke survivors don’t get this is truly shocking and demonstrates the dire state stroke treatment and ongoing care is in.

“Stroke must be prioritised by Governments and the NHS from prevention to diagnosis, treatment and long-term recovery. Only then will stroke patients get the treatment they need, whenever they need it, so the increasing number of UK stroke survivors can live mentally and physically well.”

The research comes in the wake of a recent survey which found that the nation is unaware of the lifelong impact stroke can have on the UK’s increasing number of survivors.

The UK survey of 2,000 members of the public and 1,000 stroke survivors found that 64% didn’t know that stroke is the UK’s leading cause of complex adult disability. In fact, nearly two thirds (60%) of stroke survivors are left with a disability.

Only 19% of those surveyed thought stroke survivors need long-term rehabilitation and recovery support with 25% thinking it took six months or less to recover.

Conversely, around 30% of stroke survivors said their recovery took longer than expected or that the process was worse than they thought, and they didn’t recover as much as they had hoped.