NHS care for stroke victims at low point

NEW figures show that the number of stroke professionals across the North West is at a worryingly low level.

This puts thousands of lives at risk and leaves many more stroke survivors under threat of a lifetime of severe disability, according to the Stroke Association.

The charity highlighted the new findings from the Sentinel Stroke National Audit Programme’s (SSNAP) Acute Organisational Audit Report.

The report reveals that there is large variation in access to the services that stroke patients need.

This is common throughout hospitals with stroke units in England, Wales and Northern Ireland.

Stroke is the fourth biggest killer and a leading cause of adult disability in the UK.

According to these figures, half (50%) of all stroke units in the North West had at least one stroke consultant post unfilled for their stroke units for at least 12 months.

With these gaping holes in staffing levels of experienced stroke professionals, people’s recoveries from stroke are being jeopardised.

Unless these workforce issues are urgently addressed, we are hurtling our way to a major stroke crisis in the next few years.

The highest standards of stroke treatment and rehabilitation must be available to all.

Stroke happens in the brain, the control centre for who we are and what we can do.

The progress in stroke treatment and care over the past 10 years run the risk of being wasted without experienced doctors to deliver world class stroke services.

Half of the hospitals in the North West have understaffed stroke wards.

We are working with the NHS to ensure that stroke is a priority, and we want to see positive change in their forthcoming People Plan to solve this long overdue issue.

The lack of senior doctors and also of trainees to fill these gaps is worsening and is a ticking time bomb for an already stretched health service.

The stroke skills gap threatens the sustainability of many services and puts increased pressure on local hospitals.

There are over 100,000 strokes every year in the UK and this is estimated to rise to 150,000 over the next five years, which will increase the pressure on stroke wards further.

We are deeply concerned by the rate at which highly qualified stroke doctors are leaving the profession and the slow uptake of stroke medicine by new doctors.

Stroke happens in the brain and therefore requires highly expert and specialist knowledge.

Training new doctors is vital to giving stroke patients the best chance of survival, but it’s also essential that other stroke professionals such as specialist nurses and therapists are also recruited and trained to ensure that stroke patients get the best possible care through their recoveries.

This report makes some welcome recommendations to address the challenges.

Government; NHS England and its arm’s length bodies and health and social authorities across the UK must act now to ensure that stroke survivors get the world-class treatment and care they deserve.

We support the recommendations made last year by the British Association Of Stroke Physicians around how to meet the big challenges the stroke workforce faces.

At the Stroke Association, we will also play our part by providing high quality emotional, practical and social support services to help people to rebuild their lives after stroke.