The Stroke Association
Every year, approximately 150,000 people in the UK have a stroke. From this number of people, about a third are likely to die within the month, a third will make a recovery within one month and a third will be left disabled and needing rehabilitation.
The Stroke Association is the only UK-wide charity solely concerned with combating stroke in people of all ages. We want a world where there are fewer strokes and all those touched by stroke get the help they need. Our mission is to prevent strokes, and reduce their effect through providing services, campaigning, education and research.
Getting Better – Improving stroke services across the UK
The new Stroke Association report ‘Getting Better – Improving stroke services across the UK' brings together twelve case studies of stroke services from around the country to show what can be achieved, when key individuals, often from different organisations, get together to champion the stroke cause.
Each case study highlights a particular aspect of the care pathway including prevention, managing TIAs, establishing a stroke unit, offering thrombolysis, early supported discharge and long term support for those with communication difficulties. They show that improving stroke services reduces mortality and disability, and for some people treatment with thrombolysis can lead to a dramatic recovery.
The report also contains recommendations that The Stroke Association would like to see implemented that would improve services across the board for all stroke survivors and carers.
The report is aimed at policy makers, commissioners, providers of stroke services, healthcare professionals working in hospitals, as well as stroke survivors and their families. The Stroke Association believes that the report can be used as a catalyst for change and hope that by demonstrating what can be achieved, we can encourage and inspire others to strive for the best in stroke care.
Priorities
- Stroke must be treated as a medical emergency at all times, with transfer by ambulance to a receiving hospital providing hyper acute stroke services.
- All stroke patients must be taken immediately to and spend the majority of their time in a stroke unit, with access to specialist stroke care
- All stroke survivors must receive a smooth transition from hospital to home, with an agreed, communicated discharge plan, fully involving the individual and carer(s) that takes into account the individual's particular circumstances and aspirations. This must be a multi-agency approach.
- All stroke survivors must receive timely high quality rehabilitation and long-term support that meets specific needs. Stroke survivors and their carers should be provided a six week and six month post-discharge review of their health and social care status and secondary prevention needs, from their primary care services. This should be followed by an annual health and social care check with a clear pathway to specialist advice and information where required.
- All TIAs/mini strokes must be treated with the same seriousness as stroke, with a system that identifies as urgent those with early risk of potentially preventable stroke, with necessary imaging, interventions and follow-ups in place.
Web: www.stroke.org.uk
Email: Homaira.Khan@Stroke.org.uk