Only 1 in 3 stroke patients receiving prompt brain scans
Only half of stroke patients are receiving some of the treatments doctors believe are crucial for saving their lives.
7:00AM BST 18 Aug 2011
A national audit carried out by the Royal College of Physicians has found that just 33 per cent of those treated at NHS hospitals after suffering a stroke receive a brain scan within an hour.
Only 52 per cent were given a clot-busting drug when they were eligible for it and 53 per cent were seen by a nurses and a therapist within 24 hours after having the devastating brain attack.
In addition, 55 per cent of patients were taken either directly to a dedicated stroke unit or admitted there within four hours.
However 79 per cent were seen by a stroke consultant within 24 hours of being admitted to hospital and 92 per cent had a brain scan within the critical first day.
The figures relate to the first quarter of 2011-12 after the RCP switched to quarterly reporting of the Stroke Improvement National Audit Programme (SINAP), which collects information about the care provided to stroke patients during their first three days in hospital.
The data can then be linked to death rates to see if those who receive better quality care are less likely to die.
The RCP says: “If we can show that patients are less likely to die or have another stroke if they get good stroke care, it will encourage all hospitals to improve their stroke services. It will also encourage the funders to provide more money for the most important stroke services.”
Dr Lorna Layward from The Stroke Association said: “The first few hours following a stroke are absolutely crucial to the level of recovery that someone can expect to make. These results show that some improvements have been made over recent years, but there are wide variations between hospitals. The guidelines and expectations are set out for stroke care but unfortunately some hospitals are falling short.
“We urge all hospitals that provide stroke care to ensure their data is submitted to this audit, so that we can gather the whole national perspective and help to drive standards of care up so that more people can survive their stroke and make a good recovery.”
