2023 was not only the year in which we celebrated our 40th birthday, but also the year in which we were able to provide more of our services to more of the 12,000 people in Bristol and South Gloucestershire living with the after-effects of stroke.
In 2023 we had 9,706 different contacts with 1,042 people who have experienced a stroke.
We received 716 new referrals from people after stroke to our charity. That represents a 109% increase on the number of people accessing our service in 2022.
This massive increase in what we do and the number of people that we have been able to connect with has come about largely due to new ways of working with our partners in community health and the creation of an integrated stroke pathway. This innovative model means that everyone who has a stroke in our region will receive similar care both in hospital immediately following their stroke and afterwards, longer term, as they rebuild their lives at home.
Bristol After Stroke has been contracted to offer initial assessments and six-month reviews to everyone experiencing a stroke in Bristol and South Glos, to support them physically, emotionally and socially. In addition to this individual support work, Bristol After Stroke, as a charity, also provides a range of different activities to help people deal with the longer-term effects of having experienced a stroke.
In 2023:
- We saw 153 people while still in hospital through our “In reach” service
- Our counsellors saw 65 people across 315 counselling sessions
- 37 people signed up to our ACT (Acceptance and Commitment Therapy) courses
- 43 people came to our Next Steps physio courses
- 22 people joined our communication workshops
- 173 people came to our 5 regular stroke support groups across the region with a variety of activities
- 50 volunteers have worked about 6,500 hours to help us deliver all our different services.
While we are proud of the growth in our services this year and the increased number of stroke-affected people that we have been able to reach and support, we do not underestimate the challenges of the future. With 12,000 people in our region living with the after-effects of stroke and with stroke being the 4th single leading cause of death in the UK and the single largest cause of complex disability, we know that there is a great deal more work to be done in helping people to rebuild their lives, physically, socially and emotionally.
With your help, support and involvement we want to continue doing what we do in 2024.
