Birmingham stroke survivor who waited 'days' for assessments was unable to say own name for three years

Kelly Williams, 55, from Birmingham, had two strokes in 2017 that left her with aphasia — a condition that robbed her of her ability to speak, read, or write. 

For three years, she couldn’t even say her own name.

Despite the severity of her condition, Kelly said it was “days” before she received any speech and language therapy (SLT) assessment in hospital — and she was never given therapy during her hospital stay at all.

“I knew nothing about what was happening to me, my family were confused because they didn’t know how to communicate with me,” said Ms Williams.

“What I needed was someone to tell me that I had aphasia, what that meant, and what I could do about it – but no one did.

“I am so grateful for my care from NHS staff, but it upsets me when I see so many people struggling, especially those who have received little or no help from speech and language therapy – those assessments are vital.”

But Kelly’s story is far from unique.

Thousands of stroke survivors are missing out on timely vital speech assessments in the aftermath of their stroke, The Stroke Association has has said.

A new snapshot poll of stroke care found that just under a quarter (24.8%) of stroke patients received a speech and language therapy (SLT) assessment within 24 hours of arrival at hospital, and less than half get this check within 72 hours.

The Stroke Association said that around a third of stroke survivors will suffer aphasia – a language and communication disability, which leaves people struggling to speak, read, write or understand language.

And speech and language therapy is most effective the sooner it is delivered after a stroke, it said.

But according to its easement of the latest data from the Sentinel Stroke National Audit Programme (SSNAP), the amount of time spent delivering speech and language therapy in hospital has declined by 10% in the last five years.

It is recommended that rehabilitation after a stroke which also includes physiotherapy and occupational therapy should be provided for a minimum of three hours a day, five times a week in the aftermath of a stroke.

However the charity said that data from the audit – which covers England, Wales and Northern Ireland – from October to December last year suggests that just over a third (35%) are getting the recommended levels of support.

The charity is calling for all stroke patients to get the recommended levels of speech and language therapy.

It is also calling for stroke survivors to have a six-month review after the figures suggest that only 39% were given this “vital” assessment in the last three months to 2024.

Juliet Bouverie, chief executive of the Stroke Association, said: “It is unacceptable that vital speech and language therapy assessments for stroke survivors have declined in recent years.

“Losing the ability to communicate after a stroke can be one of the scariest and most unsettling aspects in the early stages after a stroke.

“In the long-term, speech and language therapy plays a huge part in boosting a stroke survivor’s overall quality of life to support good mental health by helping to ensure they can enjoy the simple pleasure of communication.

“Whilst the skill, effort and true dedication of the NHS workforce cannot be questioned, there is a real and urgent need to recruit, train and retain more staff who can provide rehabilitation tailored to the needs of individual stroke survivors for as long as they need it.”

A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said: “We are committed to improving stroke prevention, treatment, and recovery through our 10 Year Health Plan, including making sure we have the right staff in the right place to deliver the care patients need when they need it.”