A Campbeltown woman is backing a national campaign for better emotional and psychological support for stroke survivors, ahead of World Stroke Day on Sunday (October 29).
The woman, who has asked to remain anonymous, is supporting the Stroke Association’s appeal to all of Scotland’s 14 health boards to take immediate action to implement the Scottish Government’s Stroke Improvement Plan (2023).
It comes after the UK charity discovered through a Freedom of Information request that there are only 7.8 whole time equivalent clinical/neuropsychologists with protected time for stroke for the whole country, and the Scottish Stroke Care Audit revealed in June that not one health board is delivering specialised psychological care.
“This information has come to light following the publication of our Keeping Stroke Recoveries in Mind report in October last year, which highlighted the unacceptable level of support for people struggling with the psychological consequences of stroke,” said a spokesperson for the Stroke Association.
“From our survey last year, we know that 94 per cent of stroke survivors experienced a mild impact on their psychological wellbeing. For 39 per cent of stroke survivors, the impact on their psychological wellbeing was severe.
“Over two thirds of those – 68 per cent – did not believe they were receiving the support they needed.
“There are over 128,000 stroke survivors in Scotland and 10,000 strokes per year.”
A stroke is a serious life-threatening medical condition that happens when the blood supply to part of the brain is cut off.
Having suffered one herself, the Campbeltown woman knows first-hand about struggling with after-effects of stroke and, despite recovering well physically, she found her emotions, at times, to be unbearable.
“I felt scared that I might have another stroke,” she said. “I lay in my bed alone, crying and crying.”
Struggling to get out of bed and unable to socialise, she said she felt “hopeless” and her life “pointless”.
Noticing the crushing psychological impact of her stroke, her stroke physician referred her to a psychologist who the woman described as “a god-send”.
“To have a name assigned to the way I had been feeling was such a relief,” she said. “I was taught strategies to help with my panic attacks, and the information and advice I was given has helped me to accept the stroke and its effects.
“I got on well with my psychologist. She listened to me, and I felt like I could talk about all my emotions to her without hiding anything. She was a safe person to be with.”
Anxiety, depression, memory and thinking problems can all be part of the psychological consequences of stroke, according to the Stroke Association, which provides specialist support, funds critical research and campaigns to make sure people affected by stroke get the best care and support to rebuild their lives.
“Some people describe the psychological effects of stroke as worse than the physical effects,” said the charity’s spokesperson.
“Last year, we called on the Scottish Government to include in its Stroke Improvement Plan a commitment to treat the psychological effects of stroke and physical effects of stroke with parity.”
The charity also called for the Stroke Improvement Plan to include the implementation of the National Model of Psychological Services (NMPCS) for stroke in Scotland.
The national model highlights the need to involve all staff working with people affected by stroke across the pathway to support patients dealing with the psychological consequences of stroke.
John Watson, associate director Scotland at the Stroke Association, said: “The progress health boards are making to improve psychological services is too slow.
“And there is no escaping the fact that delivering the necessary emotional support for people affected by stroke will involve more investment in the workforce, both in recruitment and training.
“The inclusion of psychological support the new stroke plan is an important step, but that aspiration is still a long way from becoming reality.”
The Stroke Association is calling for health boards to deliver the national model with dedicated support from the Scottish Government; ensure there is an appropriately trained workforce to enable clinical psychologists to lead on the implementation of psychological care; and develop an education and training programme for all staff involved in delivering stroke care.
Mr Watson added: “Stroke is a clinical priority in Scotland, and it needs to be treated as such.
“We will continue to champion the need for improvements in the way stroke psychological care is delivered in Scotland. We owe it to everyone affected by stroke to ensure they get the right support to rebuild their life after stroke.”
The Courier contacted NHS Highland, the health board covering the Argyll and Highland regions, about its care of stroke survivors.
An Argyll and Bute Health and Social Care Partnership (HSCP) spokesman responded: “Argyll and Bute HSCP’s stroke patients receive comprehensive care from multidisciplinary professional teams (MDTs) consisting of physicians, nurses, occupational therapists, physiotherapists, dieticians, speech and language therapists, stroke and care managers and referred to mental health practitioners when required.
“The HSCP’s stroke patients benefit from the expertise and professionalism of these healthcare professionals, who work tirelessly to provide optimal care and services.”