Calls for improved care for Wiltshire stroke patients

A health charity is calling for improved care for people suffering a stroke, claiming patients are being 'failed' due to NHS pressures.

A report by the Stroke Association said extended waits for an ambulance, delays in handovers and a lack of imaging capability for diagnostic testing are delaying patients' access to specialist care and time-sensitive treatment.

It said 47% of patients were sent directly to a specialist stroke unit within four hours of arriving at hospital in 2023/24, down from 58% a decade earlier.

In 2024, more than 1,200 inpatients were admitted to hospitals in Wiltshire, 418 at Salisbury District Hospital and 837 at Great Western Hospital.

Stroke Association CEO, Juliet Bouverie, told Greatest Hits Radio at 1.9 million neurons are lost in the brain every minute that a stroke goes untreated.

She said: "Delays mean that treatment is either less effective or not delivered at all, meaning stroke patients may live with acute, lifelong disabilities that could have been avoided."

Juliet added: "This ongoing disability creates misery for stroke patients and their families and creates unnecessary burden and costs for the health and care system at a time when it's under significant strain."

Those disabilities include paralysis, visual impairment and communication difficulties, but the chances of them happening can be significantly improved through a thrombectomy.

"Thrombectomy is a revolutionary surgical procedure which physically removes large blood clots from the brain and in many people can change the course of recovery from stroke in an instant," Juliet said.

In its report, the charity says patients face a postcode lottery to access treatment and rehabilitation, with just over half (11.6%) of the 1 in 5 patients who could benefit from thrombolysis, a drug that breaks down a clot and returns blood supply to the brain, actually receiving it.

The drug should be given to patients within four and a half hours of a stroke.

The charity's report includes a call for the wider rollout of video technology that allows specialists to talk to ambulance teams to diagnose patients before they arrive at hospital.

The Government say it's committed to using more technology to support patients suffering a stroke in it's 10-year health plan.

Juliet says the biggest step forward to be made is preventing strokes, alongside access to treatments such as thrombolysis and thrombectomy.

She said: "For every stroke prevented the local healthcare system saves £46,000 per person, and we know that 80 to 90% of strokes are preventable."

Juliet added that the leading cause for a stroke his high blood pressure, urging us all to check our blood pressure regularly.

She said: "Any reading where the highest number is over 120 is a source of concern and you should consult your GP.

"It's also important to look at the other modifiable risk factors, such as stopping smoking, maintaining a healthy weight, reducing alcohol intake, and taking regular exercise."

A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson added: "This government is taking action to tackle the biggest killers like heart disease and strokes.

"We have introduced health checks in workplaces and blood pressure checks on high streets to help catch illness earlier, and we are acting to prevent strokes in the first place by tackling smoking and obesity.

"We are committed to improving stroke prevention, treatment, and recovery through our 10-Year Health Plan, which will emphasise prevention and make better use of innovative technology like prehospital video triage (PVT) as we shift the NHS from analogue to digital."

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