Stroke care gets better since health check

DH performance data for July to September this year shows 57 per cent of the 16,917 patients admitted to hospital with stroke spent at least 90 per cent of their stay on a stroke unit.

The review put trusts under real scrutiny [and] it became apparent where sites were performing badly

However, this still falls short of the CQC’s target that 60 per cent of patients spend at least 90 per cent of their time on a stroke unit.

Just 37 per cent of hospital trusts met the CQC stroke indicator for 2008-09.

The best performing regions are London, where 69 per cent of stroke patients spent 90 per cent of their stay on a stroke unit, and the North East, with 67 per cent.

Although nine out of 10 strategic health authorities saw improvements in stroke care, the data revealed significant variations within regions.

In the South West, almost 80 per cent of patients admitted to hospital with a stroke in South Gloucestershire spent 90 of their time on a dedicated unit, but in Swindon the figure was just 20 per cent.

National clinical lead for the NHS stroke improvement programme Damian Jenkinson, who last year led a review of stroke services across the South West, said the SHA was aware of the areas that “have not shown signs of great improvement”.

“The review put trusts under real scrutiny [and] it became apparent where sites were performing badly,” he said.

The national vital sign target for 2009-10 is that 70 per cent of stroke patients should be treated on a stroke unit for more than 90 per cent of their stay, rising to 80 per cent in 2010-11.