Stroke survivors could benefit from better rehabilitation in the community rather than longer stays in hospital, according to a report by the ESRI and the Royal College of Surgeons of Ireland.
The report, funded by the Irish Heart Foundation, finds that 54% of stroke survivors could be discharged from hospital earlier each year.
The move to care in the community would free up acute hospital beds and save up to €7m in health expenditure.
The authors of the report entitled "Towards earlier discharge, better outcomes, lower cost: stroke rehabilitation in Ireland", say more than 3,000 patients would benefit each year from community rehabilitation, reducing hospital bed days by 24,000.
It would require a substantial increase in the resourcing of community nurses and community therapists, and according to the report, this could be funded from savings in the reduced cost of bed days.
