Specialist care coming for stroke patients in Dorset
A new-look community service is being brought in early next year
Specialist support services are being rolled out across Dorset to help people recover from the debilitating effects of a stroke.
Enhanced rehabilitation services will ensure local stroke patients have access to expert treatment tailored to their needs.
Strokes can leave people with partial paralysis, impaired speech, mobility problems, and other life-changing impacts.
New-look stroke units are on the way in the east and west of the county as local NHS trusts free up extra resources to give people the best chance of making a full recovery.
Next year, Dorset County Hospital will open a "hyper acute stroke service," providing 24/7 stroke care for the first time.
Patients will be monitored by a team of stroke specialists on the new unit for up to the first 72 until they are stable enough to be transferred to the hospital’s main stroke unit.
Luisa Hardy, Dorset HealthCare’s adult community stroke and neuro services manager, said: “This is a huge step forward for people in north and west Dorset.
“People are not passed off between teams, but have their specific needs met by one team of occupational therapists, physios, speech therapists, nurses, psychologists and others who are specially trained in stroke care.
Additionally, stroke patients in north and west Dorset will be beneficiaries of a community service, “While we have a dedicate stroke rehab unit at the Yeatman Hospital in Sherborne, our staff also support people in their own homes,” Luisa added.
Meanwhile in East Dorset, University Hospitals Dorset is expanding the stroke recovery unit at Royal Bournemouth Hospital.
This will increase the number of beds to 43 and give patients access to improved facilities and cutting-edge technology such as the Walkerbot, a pioneering piece of equipment which helps people relearn how to walk.
These services are available to people who have just had a stroke or those still struggling with the effects of a past stroke.