Under-threat Stroke Recovery Service in Portsmouth could be taken over by the NHS ahead of a funding deadline

Portsmouth’s city councillors have received indications that the city’s Stroke Recovery Service, managed by The Stroke Association, could be contracted by the Hampshire and Isle of Wight Integrated Care Board (ICB), which plans services and manages budgets. This development follows the council’s decision in September to extend funding by an additional year, offering a lifeline until December 2024 for the service which was earmarked for closure. The uncertainty stems from the expectation that the ICB introduce an Integrated Community Stroke Service in 2024.

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Overseeing the service for 14 years, The Stroke Association has supported more than 2,000 individuals in Portsmouth, contributing to reduced hospital readmissions and providing essential mental health support.

The service costs the council £77,000 a year but the majority of this has come from one-off funding arrangements with just £16,000 allocated in the annual budget. But the decision to close the service has created a backlash with a petition against the move signed by more than 1,100 people calling for a longer-term funding solution to be found to secure the future of the vital service.

At a recent health overview and scrutiny panel meeting, Andy Biddle, the council’s director of adult social care, shared insights from discussions between the association and cabinet members.

The Stroke Association considers the December 2024 deadline “reasonable”, paving the way for potential collaboration with the ICB.

“The stroke association will investigate and bring back some analysis of work they’re doing on other parts of the country directly for other ICBs – not only in terms of the contract specification and the kind of work but also in terms of the return on investment they are providing for those NHS bodies.

“That will be the next phase – the leader and the cabinet member resolved that once they have that information they will write to ICB laying out that information and making the case for the stroke association to be part of the post-stroke-recovery service implemented across Hampshire and the Isle of Wight.”