Psychologist backs calls for post-hospital stroke support for all Australians

A New South Wales health professional is calling for better support for stroke survivors once they have left the hospital.

Dr Naomi Halls from McMahon’s Point survived three strokes in 2017, and if it wasn’t for her own professional experience, her recovery may have been very different.

As a clinical psychologist, she works with a variety of patients and says after-care support is not equitable for all survivors of stroke across Australia.

That is also shown in the Stroke Foundation’s National Acute Stroke Audit, which finds that 30 per cent of patients with stroke do not receive post-stroke information, and 35 per cent go home from hospital without a discharge plan.

Dr Halls is backing the Stroke Foundation’s calls for a $10 million Federal government investment into a StrokeConnect Navigator Program.

“I believe there’s a gap in services for high-functioning survivors who still need some level of physiological and psychological processing to recover,” Dr Halls said.

“I created my own program to regain speech and movement, I studied neuropsychology in my doctorate, so I knew I had to begin rehab as soon as possible after brain injury. A comprehensive plan on discharge with referrals and funding for ongoing access to neuropsychology is necessary for all survivors of stroke.”

Stroke Foundation Chief Executive Officer Sharon McGowan said the StrokeConnect Navigator service will extend the inbound information and support service and implement a new continuity of care model.

“We know there is ongoing demand from survivors of stroke who cannot easily navigate the health system after leaving hospital, some even describe it as falling into a black hole. On average 88 survivors of stroke are discharged each day from hospitals across Australia, so this means at least 26 people leave without the resources and support to help them achieve their best possible recovery after stroke,” she said.

Ms McGowan says the new Australian Government has a chance to review and reset the focus on post-stroke support and is looking forward to working with the new Ministers as they implement their health agenda.

“An investment now in raising stroke awareness and empowering survivors to make their best recovery possible will create significant change in the years to come and save millions of health dollars for use in other critical areas,” she said.