Health chiefs defend overhaul of stroke services as fears grow

From this autumn stroke victims from Hambleton and Richmondshire will be taken to Middlesbrough instead of receiving treatment at the Friarage Hospital in Northallerton.

The move has been heralded as key to streamlining specialist treatment for hundreds of stroke patients at a dedicated centre at the James Cook University Hospital in Middlesbrough.

Initial concerns over the pressure placed on ambulances transporting patients to Middlesbrough have been addressed because paramedic services are being boosted in Richmond to cover remote parts of North Yorkshire including Wensleydale and Swaledale.

But there are escalating fears that a further restructuring of stroke care in the North-East could place the treatment of patients in Middlesbrough under increasing pressure.

A 90-day consultation is under way over plans to consolidate stroke services which would mean patients treated at Darlington’s Memorial Hospital will instead be taken on a 21-mile trip to the University Hospital North, Durham.

The proposals have provoked concerns that patients could instead be ferried the shorter distance of 15 miles to Middlesbrough, placing the stroke services there under a massive strain.

Richmondshire District Council’s leader, John Blackie, has expressed grave reservations over the proposed shake-up of services in Durham and Darlington.

Coun Blackie, who also sits on North Yorkshire County Council’s scrutiny of health committee, said: “The decision to transfer services from Northallerton to Middlesbrough was seen as a satisfactory solution once the concerns over the ambulance cover were addressed.

“We are all aware that the care provided at the James Cook University Hospital is second to none, and this is aimed at improving the treatment of stroke patients.

“But what is now being proposed for Darlington and Durham has raised a very big question mark over the plans. What has suddenly come on the radar could now well compromise what had appeared to be a solution for stroke patients in Richmondshire and Hambleton.”

Senior health officials have maintained that specialist services cannot be provided from all hospital locations, especially at a time when NHS finances are extremely tight amid the Government’s austerity measures.

The South Tees Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust has announced that stroke patients from across Hambleton and Richmondshire will be taken to the James Cook University Hospital under the new arrangements which will be launched in October.

The trust maintained developing integrated stroke care presents its “own challenges” in a small hospital such as the Friarage, which cannot provide the range of services offered in Middlesbrough.

The move is aimed at ensuring patients receive the best treatment during the most critical period after suffering a stroke, and have access to the most up-to-date MRI facilities and vascular surgery to aid their chances of recovery.

The stroke co-ordinator for North Yorkshire’s community and mental health services, Johnathan Kelly, said: “We recognise that many people would prefer to stay at their local hospital for treatment.

“But we believe the most important thing is to get them treated and stabilised at a major centre of excellence. Our aim is to get people back to the Friarage as soon as possible afterwards when they are medically stable, so that they can continue their care closer to home and their families.”

No one was available for comment yesterday from NHS County Durham and Darlington, which is conducting the 90-day consultation into the proposed changes to stroke care in the North-East.