Stroke Care is Just Not Good Enough

Up to 70 supporters and stroke patients will present a 50,000 signature petition to Downing Street today calling on the Government to make stroke care a priority.

Everyday, 30 stroke patients will die or be left seriously disabled because they are not getting specialist care in stroke units.¹ This is just not good enough, and The Stroke Association believes there is an urgent need for improved stroke care.

"We are pleased to see so many signatures on our petition," said Margaret Goose, Chief Executive of The Stroke Association. "By presenting this petition, we hope the Government will take notice of the needs of stroke patients. Specialist stroke care saves lives, it is as simple as that. However, not all patients have access to this level of care, either because there is no local stroke unit or it is not big enough. We feel it is now time the Government addressed these inadequacies with action."

Those presenting the petition include nine-year-old Laura Panting, from Bristol, and seven-year-old, Emma Buggins, from London. Both these children have been affected by stroke. Laura has helped care for her mother who has suffered five strokes and Emma suffered a stroke herself at four years old.

Celebrities including Jimmy Hill, Claire Rayner, Honor Blackman, Matthew Kelly, Brigit Forsyth, Prunella Scales and Rosemary Conley have all signed the petition along with tens of thousands of supporters.

"A stroke can shatter lives," added Margaret Goose, "and often it's not just the stroke patient who suffers - family and friends are affected as well. This is why it is vital that stroke patients gain access to the life-saving and disability-reducing care that stroke units provide. The Government has set out a blueprint for stroke care in the National Service Framework, but now it's time for them to act on their words."
Research has shown that if a person is treated in a stroke unit they are 20% less likely to die or suffer serious disability.

The Department of Health published national standards for stroke last year stating that all stroke patients should be treated in stroke units by 2004. Currently only one in four patients (27%) spends their stay in a stroke unit. There is still a long way to go before stroke unit care will be provided for all those who need it.

100,000 people each year will suffer a first stroke in England and Wales and over 300,000 people are living with the disabling effects of a stroke. There is no miracle cure for stroke. This is why stroke care is so important - because it can save lives.

Ends

References
¹ Royal College of Physicians National Audit of Stroke Services 2001/02. Published July 2002.

Notes to editor

1. For more information call The Stroke Association on 020 7566 0317 or 020 7566 0314.

2. The first target for improving stroke services was that by April 2002, all NHS Trusts in England should have plans to introduce a specialist stroke service from April 2004, as set out in National Service Framework for Older People. The Stroke Association has been trying to establish if this milestone has been met. By 2004 all hospitals should have a stroke unit in place.

3. The Association carried out a survey last summer and asked NHS Trusts about their plans for stroke services. We found significant gaps in provision around the country and there was also evidence that many existing stroke units were too small to accommodate all those who need care following a stroke. Audit by the Royal College of Physicians has confirmed that only 27% of stroke patients spend half their time in a stroke unit.

4. Stroke units provide organised stroke care with a team of doctors, nurses, therapists and specialists, specially trained in looking after people who have had a stroke.

5. A stroke happens when the blood supply to the brain is disrupted. Most strokes occur when a blood clot blocks the flow of blood to the brain. Some strokes are caused by bleeding in or around the brain from a burst blood vessel.

6. Stroke is one of the biggest killers and the largest single cause of serious adult disability in the UK. Around 100,000 people in England and Wales suffer a first stroke each year - about 10,000 are under the age of 55 and 1,000 are under the age of 30. One person every five minutes will suffer a first stroke.

7. The Stroke Association is the only national charity solely concerned with combating stroke in people of all ages. It funds research into prevention, treatment and better methods of rehabilitation and helps stroke patients and their families directly through its community services. These include visiting services, dysphasia support, family support, welfare grants, publications and leaflets. We also campaign, educate and inform to increase knowledge of stroke at all levels of society and we act as a voice for everyone affected by stroke.

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