Calls for stroke treatment centre to be set up at Ninewells

A regional stroke treatment centre should be set up in Dundee, according to a north east MSP.

Conservative MSP Bill Bowman spoke following a visit to the city by two leading professors to teach NHS Tayside staff about the benefits of mechanical thrombectomy.

This procedure, now no longer offered in Scotland, involves removing clots from the brain.

Mr Bowman has called for a treatment centre in Dundee to service Tayside and beyond, due to “overwhelming evidence” the procedure saves lives and increases the quality of life among stroke survivors.

He also quoted data from health boards across the NHS England estate, where 170 lives were saved in Liverpool and Manchester over the course of a year due to the thrombectomy treatment.

Last year’s Scottish Stroke Care Audit revealed almost a third of stroke patients do not receive appropriate care in Scotland’s NHS.

In response, the Scottish Government advertised for a new stroke specialist adviser in the summer but they would only work for one day a week.

However, that position has yet to be filled.

Mr Bowman said: “Patients in Tayside and across Scotland are suffering from a postcode lottery when it comes to stroke care.

“The fact is that mechanical thrombectomy offers the most effective treatment for sufferers of ischaemic stroke, the most common kind.

“But there are no Scottish centres for this procedure, whereas it is widely available in England.

“I would like to see Ninewells Hospital lead the way.”