Millions in poor health due to lack of rehab after illness, warns UK report

Stroke, heart attack and cancer patients at risk of being stuck in downward spiral' without recovery support, say physiotherapists

Millions of people in the UK are suffering poor health because they miss out on vital rehabilitation after strokes, heart attacks and cancer, which in turn is also heaping further pressure on the NHS, a damning report warns.

Physiotherapists say some groups of patients are particularly badly affected. Without access to these services, many patients desperately trying to recover from illness became stuck in a downward spiral", they said, with some developing other health conditions as a result.