Stroke patients missing out on life-saving treatments

Posted: Published on July 9th, 2014

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Helen Puttick Health Correspondent

An official report shows many hospitals are still not meeting important care standards for stroke patients - more than 15 years after the Scottish Government made the condition a priority.

Just 34 per cent of stroke patients for whom clot-busting drugs are appropriate receive them within an hour of reaching hospital, even though evidence shows they reduce the number of brain cells damaged.

A checklist of four other key treatment goals, including being admitted to a stroke unit and receiving a brain scan within a day of reaching hospital, was ticked for only 58 per cent of patients last year.

NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde, the country's biggest health board, had one of the worst records in the country for meeting all four criteria. NHS Orkney was the only area to have a smaller proportion of patients treated in line with the four "care bundle" standards, and it did not have an operational CT scanner on the island.

Stroke is the third most common cause of death in Scotland and 10,233 people were diagnosed with a stroke in hospitals last year.

The care of patients has improved - the proportion treated in line with all four requirements of the care bundle was 48 per cent in 2012, a rise of 10 percentage points in a year.

Andrea Cail, Scotland director of the Stroke Association, said lives had been saved by the quality drive, but added: "There are still significant variations in treatment and care depending on where we live, which is unacceptable."

The Scottish Stroke Care Audit, which was published yesterday, revealed that in 2013, 12 out of 31 hospitals managed to admit 90 per cent of stroke patients to a stroke unit within a day and 13 ensured 90 per cent of patients were scanned within 24 hours. Both measures are known to improve the chances of survival and reduce the risk of disability.

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Stroke patients missing out on life-saving treatments

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