A NEW service to help stroke sufferers across the district is being set up by Bradford Teaching Hospitals.

It will guide people towards care and help them become independent after having a stroke, but there are hopes it will also bring relief for a support group which has suffered crippling funding cuts.

Shipley Stroke Group has had its funding gradually cut back by the NHS Bradford Districts Clinical Commissioning Groups (CCG ).

In 2011/12, its annual £35,000 grant was cut by half and gradually its has reduced to nothing as plans were being worked on for the new service.

The group has been fundraising and received £6,000 from Sovereign Health Care Charitable Trust in November, but it can no longer pay for tutors, including an artist and beautician, and other staff have become volunteers to keep the group going.

Those running it estimate that the remaining cash will run out by the summer.

Co-chairman Helen Galtress is meeting the Bradford Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust on Monday to see if the group can be part of the new service and receive funding.

"I don't know exactly where we're going to stand with them, but that's why we're meeting," she said.

"I don't think there's a lot of money, but fingers crossed they can help."

The group has about 40 members and meets weekly at Haworth Road Methodist Church, giving carers and stroke suffers chance to socialise, relax and join in activities.

A spokesman for NHS Bradford Districts CCG said: "Following a tender process, we have appointed Bradford Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust to run the new stroke support service, which began at the start of January.

"This will be a Bradford-wide integrated service which will include accessible, locally-based stroke groups to support patients from all communities who would benefit from this service. The Trust is in the process of setting up a patient referral system and coordinating the delivery of the support groups, in line with the service specification.

"The new model of care will provide short to medium-term support to new patients to enable them to become independent and self-reliant. In addition to this, it is expected that patients are encouraged to develop more long-term informal support networks."

The new service was due to start last year, but was delayed meaning Shipley Stroke Group was left in limbo.

Bradford Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust 's chief operating officer, Helen Barker, said: "Having taken over the contract this month, Bradford Teaching Hospitals is overseeing the transfer to deliver the requirements of the contract.

"This will include ensuring the appropriate support groups are in place."