Just had a stroke
Question one - My mother became ill yesterday, but was not finally diagnosed with a stroke until this morning. Are there any standards that apply to hospital treatment for someone who has had a stroke?
As The Stroke Association's campaigns have emphasized, it is vital that health professionals treat suspected TIA or stroke as a Medical Emergency in all cases. When first going into hospital initial tests should be carried out - such as the swallow test - and a brain scan should be done within 24 hours of the stroke. Then medications and other heart and blood vessel tests may be recommended. If there is local access to clot-busting drugs (thrombolysis) and if this treatment would be appropriate, then it has to be administered within three hours of the onset of stroke symptoms, but a brain scan must be done first.
Our Information section on when a stroke happens tells you about the treatment you should expect and you can contact the Stroke Information Service for further information. In addition, the Royal College of Physicians produce the National Clinical Guidelines for the medical profession on care and treatment after stroke.
If you have particular concerns about someone’s treatment it is recommended, in the first instance, to discuss the issues with the medical team in charge of their care. If things are not resolved you can contact the hospital Patient Advice Liaison Service (PALS), whose role is to provide confidential advice on how to address issues of concern and, on request, to help by liaising with medical staff to resolve matters. The Help The Aged Seniorline is an additional source of information regarding patient welfare in hospital.
Question two - My father has just had a stroke and is in our local hospital. Do you have a list of the best hospitals for stroke treatment?
On admission to hospital and following tests as part of initial assessment, evidence shows that stroke patients have better outcomes if they are transferred to an Acute Stroke Unit as soon as possible. Our Stroke Information Service can tell you where local NHS Stroke Units are located in England and Wales but, as an impartial organisation, we cannot recommend which would be the best hospital for a particular patient's treatment. However, the causes and symptoms of stroke can vary enormously for each individual. Rehabilitation needs after stroke also vary depending on how the person has been affected, on the severity of brain damage, and the patient's general state of health at the time of the stroke.
If you wish to locate hospitals near a particular postcode area, Dr Foster Intelligence is an independent resource with an online Hospital Guide. You can use this guide to find hospitals that have Stroke Medicine/Rehabilitation as a speciality and see basic details of service provision. If you are interested in performance ratings of hospitals, the Healthcare Commission has this information for NHS Trusts and the local healthcare organisations within them, as well as for local independent and private healthcare providers.
