Warning over care for stroke patients

Almost half of the patients who knew when their symptoms had started were not seen by hospitals within three hours and more than a third were not seen within four hours.

These figures are worse than in 2008 and suggest some people are delaying seeking medical help for hours after they begin experiencing symptoms.

The audit of stroke services across the UK, published today, also found that only a third of patients were admitted directly onto a stroke unit. More than half were initially sent to general assessment units where specialist care is not carried out quickly enough meaning patients are being put at risk of later complications.

The report, which was commissioned by the Healthcare Quality Improvement Partnership and carried out by the Royal College of Physicians, found that only one in three people who needed clot-busting drugs would actually receive them.

It also warns that just 32 per cent of patients received nine key interventions, including a brain scan within 24 hours, being given aspirin quickly and spending most of their time on a stroke unit. However, the report does state that stroke services across the UK are improving.

It said: “What these figures show is that, although great progress has been made in improving the delivery of individual standards, the chances of a patient receiving high quality care across the whole pathway is low. None of these key indicators should be regarded as optional.

“These data show that we have a lot of work still to do to ensure that care is uniformly good for all patients in all hospitals at all times.”

The chairman of the Intercollegiate Stroke Network, Prof Tony Rudd, claimed that, in many areas, England, Wales and Northern Ireland perform as well or better than other countries in Europe and America.

He added: “However, there are still many aspects of care, particularly in rehabilitation and longer term management, that need to be developed.”