New stroke unit hailed as success in report

A STROKE unit which has treated more than 300 patients from Rotherham and Barnsley has been hailed a success.

The South Yorkshire and Bassetlaw hyper acute stroke unit care was created in 2017 so patients could be treated at the region’s major hospitals.

Since then, 333 Rotherham and Barnsley stroke patients have received their care in Sheffield, Wakefield and Doncaster.

Health officer Jaimie Shepherd says in a report: “Most patients were taken to their closest unit in Sheffield, Doncaster or Wakefield for their urgent stroke care.

“Most Rotherham patients were either taken to Sheffield or Doncaster and most Barnsley patients were taken to either Wakefield or Doncaster.

“They were then either discharged directly home, home with support of community services or transferred back to their local hospital for their ongoing care and in-patient rehabilitation. Some Barnsley patients are being transferred to Kendray Hospital for rehabilitation.

“Stroke teams worked together closely with the Yorkshire Ambulance Service to ensure that patients were transferred back to Rotherham or Barnsley after their initial urgent specialist stroke care so their ongoing support was closer to home in a place that best meets their needs.”

The report says feedback from patients and their families continues to be positive.

Patients treated at Sheffield had “excellent outcomes” with reduced disabilities. There have been some delays moving patients from Sheffield back to Rotherham, the report says.