Lay summary
Stroke affects over 8000 New Zealanders each year, with a quarter occurring in people of working age. As such there is an increasing number of people wanting to return to work (RTW) following stroke. Early intervention vocational rehabilitation (EIVR) is vocational rehabilitation that commences during the primary/hospital rehabilitation phase, often within weeks following onset of acquired disability. EIVR has shown promising results in improving RTW rates in other populations with similar impairments as those who sustain a stroke. Preliminary work has highlighted that hospital-based vocational rehabilitation services following stroke are delivered in an ad hoc manner via various, often fragmented, services. This creates a challenge for implementing new initiatives. Our objectives are to: i) engage with and build relationships with Stroke services at Canterbury District Health Board (CDHB) and ii) describe the current vocational rehabilitation services and pathways for people with stroke admitted to the CDHB.