STROKE survivors in the North West are being ‘denied recovery’, according to a new report calling for better co-ordination and support.

The Stroke Association carried out a UK-wide survey which revealed that in this region, up to 130,000 stroke survivors are at risk of a lack of post-hospital care and poor co-ordination between health and social care services.

The charity said that in the North West, over a third of stroke survivors had not received an assessment of their health and social care needs, and of those that did, only 38per cent were given a care plan outlining the services, and treatments, that would be put in place.

Jon Barrick, chief executive at the Stroke Association, said: “Many stroke survivors tell us that after all the effort to save their lives, they then feel abandoned when they return home.”

The East Lancashire Hospitals NHS Trust (ELHT) typically sees between 600 and 680 stroke pat-ients each year.

Meg Davey, of ELHT, said: “Stroke patients have ass-essments with a number of different teams when they are admitted and the Trust has a seven-day consultant service which is gold standard.

“The service has over achieved on the two national targets set by the Department of Health. “The first stroke target is for 80per cent of patients to be treated in a stroke designated bed – the Trust achieved 87per cent against this.

"The second target is for 60per cent of all high-risk patients to be seen within 24 hours – the Trust achieved 72 per cent.”

She added that ELHT works closely with the Stroke Association and, unlike the majority of stroke services in the North West, there are two designated teams in the East Lancashire area, of which the Blackburn with Darwen team, run by the borough council, is regarded as an example of gold standard by the Department of Health.

The NHS East Lancashire Primary Care Trust, which covers Burnley, Hyndburn, Pendle, Ribble Valley and Rossendale, declined to comment.