Follow-up care given to stroke patients in England once they leave hospital is often lacking, regulators say.
The Care Quality Commission reviewed the performance of all 151 primary care trusts, finding gaps in rehabilitation services such as physiotherapy.
Patients often faced delays in being seen, while some areas were failing to provide services altogether, the official health regulator said.
Immediate improvement was needed, it added.
The findings comes after a major focus on hospital stroke services in recent years. This has led to improvements in testing and treatment in the immediate aftermath of a stroke.
This in turn has increased the numbers surviving and, as a result, there are now 50,000 people a year who are left with disabilities following a stroke.
By Nick Triggle
BBC News