West Wales stroke survivors at risk of being 'abandoned' amid funding changes

Stroke co-ordinator Angela Hayes has been by Rob Owens' side throughout his stroke recovery.

People recovering from a stroke in west Wales are at risk of being abandoned, according to a leading stroke charity.

The Stroke Association's Life After Stroke service supports survivors after they leave hospital - helping them and their loved ones set goals for recovery, manage their condition and become more independent.

But due to changes in the way its funded, the charity fears it will no longer be able to provide the same level of support in Carmarthenshire, Ceredigion and Pembrokeshire.

There are thought to be around 10,000 stroke survivors living in west Wales. More than 250 new survivors were supported by the service in 2022.

'My dad went from speaking multiple languages to learning to talk again'
Mr Owens, a former taxi driver, said the Stroke Association saved his life.

65-year-old Rob Owens, from Gorslas in Carmarthenshire, suffered a stroke in 2018 and was left with speech and mobility issues.

Angela Hayes, the stroke co-ordinator for Carmarthenshire, helped Mr Owens find a new place to live and explained to his family how the stroke had affected him.

'I dread to worry what the outcome would've been'

Mr Owens said: "I was in a horrible, hopeless and very frustrating place when Angela came to visit me.

"Hospital don't tell you what's going on or what's going to happen. You just ask the question over and over in your head, 'why am I like this?'

"Angela was the person who answered these questions and helped me so much.

"Without the Stroke Association, I definitely would've been in a very dark place and I dread to worry what the outcome would've been. But they are there any time to listen and offer help or support."

Grandfather waited eight hours for ambulance after suffering stroke
Angela Hayes, support co-ordinator for Carmarthenshire, worries about the people she supports if the service is unable to continue.

The former taxi driver has now regained most of his mobility and has made huge progress with his speech.

Explaining what her role involves, Ms Hayes said: "I assess really what their needs are, how they're coping day-to-day and fundamentally what's the most important thing for them at that moment.

"We talk a lot about how they're managing financially, have they applied for benefits, do they need support for that, are they managing around the home, do they need any aids?

"Rob was really quite struggling with his speech, but the Stroke Association has helped him to realise that having a stroke isn't the end of everything, it's a part of him now."

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Stroke survivor Steve Marsh has formed lifelong friendships at the peer-support group set up by the Stroke Association.

'For the first time in my stroke recovery I didn't feel alone anymore'

Ms Hayes also connected Mr Owens with more than 20 other stroke survivors through a peer-support group, which meets once a month.

Steve Marsh, another stroke survivor living in Carmarthenshire, said: "Angela encouraged me to come to this group and the first meeting I [came to] I sat next to Rob, and for the first time in my stroke recovery I didn't feel alone anymore.

"We help each other with just saying how we're feeling, so it's a really good group, it's really helped me come along mentally and physically."

The charity has said that potential cuts to the funding it receives for the service, which runs widely across Wales, would make it impossible to provide the same level of support to all survivors in west Wales.

Historically, Carmarthenshire County Council has been the only council to partially provide funding for the service, but it is now focusing its spending on preventative care.

The charity now wants the local health board to fill that funding gap.

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Katie Chappelle, the Stroke Association's associate director for Wales, said: "With this support coming to an end, we want to work closely with Hywel Dda University Health Board to design an effective and quality service which continues to support stroke survivors and their loved ones to rebuild life after stroke.

"Our service also saves money for health and social services in the long-run.

"So we've proven that we can reduce readmissions into hospital, we can reduce the amount of people that need to call on social services to help them, so it's an investment in the long-run."

Ms Hayes added: "Without the Stroke Association covering this locality, stroke survivors will not have anyone really in their corner to speak for them.

"A lot of them have speech difficulties, a lot of them have got confidence issues, and a lot of them don't know which way to turn so the Stroke Association is their voice in a lot of ways, and it would be very sad to lose the service."

Alison Shakeshaft, Director of Therapies and Health Science at Hywel Dda University Health Board said: "Ensuring our patients can access appropriate care is of paramount importance to us, including those needing care or treatment following a stroke.

"We are aware of a change in Carmarthenshire County Council's funding support relating to this service.

"However, we can confirm that the health board was already in the process of going out to tender for this stroke service. The tender will be for the whole health board area, so that people across Carmarthenshire, Ceredigion and Pembrokeshire receive the same level of support."

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