Pic:The Royal London is one of the two hospitals given the top score.
Health reporter(wp/es):
Two London hospitals are providing stroke patients with the best emergency care in the country, a national audit reveals.
Northwick Park in Harrow and the Royal London in Whitechapel were each awarded a maximum score of 10 by the Royal College of Physicians.
The annual study measures the quality of care, the provision of clot- busting drugs — a process known as thrombolysis — and the number of staff on duty on a 24/7 basis.
The two hospitals are part of a network of eight hyper-acute stroke units established in the capital in 2010 to ensure expert care was provided as quickly as possible after the “brain attack”.
Dr David Cohen, lead stroke consultant at Northwick Park Hospital, which treats about 1,500 stroke patients a year, said its “door-to-needle time” for administering thrombolysis was under 30 minutes — half the national average. He said all patients were seen by a therapist within 24 hours and clinical psychologists targeted the “unseen” brain injuries.
“This is particularly useful in pat- ients of working age, so we can help them to get back to work,” added Dr Cohen. “In general, a third of stroke patients die. A third will get back to complete independence and a third will be disabled in some way.
“We are gradually pushing these numbers towards the good side. Slightly fewer people are dying and slightly fewer are being disabled.”
The report found “remarkable” nationwide improvements in stroke care over the last two decades but warned that 40 per cent of sites had a consultant vacancy.
The Royal London, which treated 766 patients in 2015/16, was able to discharge patients home in under four days, compared with the nat- ional average of almost 14 days.
Dr Patrick Gompertz, consultant stroke physician at the Royal London, said the stroke team “worked tirelessly” to deliver “fantastic care”.
He added: “Stroke is a major cause of death and disability in the UK. We aim to provide the highest quality of care so everyone has the best chance possible of recovery and a good quality of life.”
Research has found that the faster people receive care the better their outcomes, reducing deaths and long-term disability.
Stroke is the second single most common cause of deaths in the world causing 6.7 million per year. In the UK, it will take a life every 13 minutes.
The acute stroke units at the Royal London’s sister hospitals, Newham and Whipps Cross, scored 8/10, putting them within the top 15 per cent of units across the country.
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