Figures from audit of England, Wales and Northern Ireland show some basic care now worse than decade ago

Ministers are being urged to improve declining care for stroke patients to lower the risk of death and disability as new figures show rising cases, especially among people in their 50s.

Thousands of stroke patients are missing out on appropriate treatment and rehabilitation, the standards of which have worsened over the past decade, the Stroke Association has said as it publishes the latest figures from the Sentinel Stroke National Audit Programme (SSNAP), the nation’s biggest stroke data audit covering England, Wales and Northern Ireland.