A Stroke survivor has branded the decision to end funding for a service relied upon by people in Sutton as 'disgusting'.

Funding for the Stroke Association’s Communication Support service has been cancelled in the Sutton area after operating for eight years.

The Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust informed the Stroke Association that they will no longer fund the Sutton service.

The Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust said that it was not a financial decision and they had no other choice becuase of the seperation of Sutton and Merton Community services.

However, they told Sutton Guardian that they are "reviewing the services they offer". 

Garry Jopling, Deputy Director for the Stroke Association said: “Every year thousands of people are left with devastating disabilities after stroke, such as aphasia, which affects a stroke survivor’s ability to read, write and communicate.

"Without the right support, stroke survivors with aphasia can be left feeling isolated and abandoned.”

The Stroke Association say there are hundreds of stroke survivors in Sutton who were relying on the service.

One emotional stroke survivor, Lynn Scarth, who has used the service for years, told Sutton Guardian: “This is so important to us. It’s killing me, it’ so important.”

“It’s disgusting, it’s just not right,” she added.

Mr Jopling also said in his statement: “The Stroke Association is a charity and without additional funding we will not be able to continue this service. We understand and recognise the difficult decisions being made by Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust and Central London Community Healthcare NHS Trust.

“We have worked in partnership with both trusts, and we will continue to work closely with them to try and ensure that local stroke survivors and their families can access the long-term support they need.”

A spokesman for The Royal Marsden said: “This service was originally set up by Sutton and Merton Community Services.  Following the separation of Sutton and Merton Community services we had no alternative but to serve notice on the existing contract with the Stroke Association.  This was not a financial decision."

He added that they are working on how to provide the best service to Sutton stroke patients and said that The Royal Marsden would be "more than willing to work with the Stroke Association again once we have established what patients need and the new service model has been agreed."

"We are working to ensure there is no gap in the service provided for patients," the spokesman said.

The Central London Community Healthcare NHS Trust is responsible for Stroke patients in the Merton area. 

“We are currently working with the Stroke Association to agree what can be provided for our patients in Merton,” said Beth Menger, CLCH divisional director of operations for Merton adult services.

“We’re reviewing the current model of care and talking to the Stroke Association to see if they are able to support this.”