Thank you for contacting me about support for stroke survivors.
I know that good progress has been made in the treatment of stroke in recent years, with mortality rates decreasing.
Decisions on whether the National Stroke Strategy should be renewed are a matter for NHS England. However, I am aware that action continues to be taken to ensure that further progress is made on stroke.
Work is continuing across the country to organise acute stroke care to ensure that all stroke patients, regardless of where they live or when they have their stroke, have access to high quality specialist care.
The Cardiovascular Disease (CVD) Outcomes Strategy was published in 2013 and includes many stroke specific ambitions. As part of this, a CVD expert forum, hosted by NHS England, was established to coordinate delivery of the work through the strategy. NHS England has also been working with the Strategic Clinical Networks, clinical commissioning groups, voluntary agencies and individual providers to support better commissioning and provision of stroke care.
I understand that the NHS's own plan for its future, the Five Year Forward View has set out objectives to reduce the levels of variation in stroke care and better recognise the needs of patients. The Government is backing this plan with £10 billion of additional NHS investment in real terms per annum by 2020/21.
Thank you again for taking the time to contact me.