Time to Act on Stroke

The National Audit Office (NAO) report “Reducing brain damage: Faster Access to Better Stroke Care” published today, reveals that the cost of stroke to the public purse is almost three times more than previously calculated.* This means stroke is by far the most expensive illness in the UK, costing £7 billion a year. But this huge cost is not inevitable and could be significantly reduced through increased public awareness and improved stroke services.

The improvements in services and organisational changes necessary to reduce mortality and disability rates from stroke have long been known. However, this knowledge has not been put into effect because stroke services have not been given the priority they clearly need and merit.

At least 40% of strokes could be prevented by tackling the major risk factors and The Stroke Association is calling on the government to act now on the NAO’s recommendations to fund an immediate public awareness raising campaign on the symptoms of stroke and how to reduce the risks.

“The National Audit Office report reveals that huge sums of money are being spent on stroke care which needs to be put to better use saving lives and improving stroke outcomes” comments Jon Barrick, Chief Executive of The Stroke Association. “It is time to act urgently on stroke - the country’s third biggest killer and the biggest cause of severe disability. The NAO report demonstrates that the faster the diagnosis, the higher the quality of care and rehabilitation that stroke patients receive the better will be the outcome. The better the outcome the more likely it is that stroke patients can avoid lengthy stays in hospital and long term disability. This will not only reduce the financial impact of stroke upon health and social care services but also the huge emotional and economic impact upon families and carers.”

Recent improvements in stroke care are welcome but have been too slow. The NAO report provides the strongest of arguments for urgent action to be taken now. The Stroke Association is calling on the Government to give stroke a much higher priority in all parts of health and social care services and is keen to work with the Department of Health and the NHS to ensure this step change takes place without delay.

The need for action is made even more urgent due to the predicted increase in the number of older people over the next 15 years, which will mean even greater demands will be put on services for stroke patients - services which are clearly inadequate and straining to cope with current demands.

The Stroke Association is calling on the Government to implement the following steps highlighted by the NAO and which would improve stroke care and reduce the overall economic burden:

·Immediate public awareness raising campaign on the symptoms of stroke and how to reduce the risk of stroke. At least 40% of strokes could be prevented by tackling the major risk factors for stroke.

·Stroke must be treated as a medical emergency with suspected stroke patients receiving a brain scan within three hours. Echoing The Stroke Association’s Stroke Is A Medial Emergency campaign, the NAO is clear that this should be a priority. The quicker a patient has access to specialist stroke care the better their outcomes and the shorter their stay in hospital.

·Transient Ischaemic Attacks (TIAs also known as mini-strokes) must be treated as emergencies with patients seeing a specialist within seven days. TIAs are one of the only real warning signs that someone may go on to have a major stroke.

·Properly resourced and staffed stroke units must be available to all stroke patients. Again this improves outcomes and reduces the length of hospital stay. Over half of all stroke patients never get treated in a stroke unit and those that do spend too little time on them.

·Stroke is the biggest cause of long term, severe disability. Effective rehabilitation and long term care and support are vital to help stroke survivors regain as much independence as possible. However services such as physiotherapy and speech therapy are provided very patchily and in some areas not at all.

ENDS
For further information please contact the Media Team at The Stroke Association on 0207 566 1500 or email press@stroke.org.uk

Notes to editor

* Previous estimate was 2.3 billion. Department of Health Burdens of Disease 1996

1. The Stroke Association is the only charity in England and Wales 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.

2. 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.

3. Each year over 150,000 people in the UK have a stroke. Of all people who suffer from a stroke, about a third are likely to die within the first 10 days, about a third are likely to make a recovery within one month and about a third are likely to be left disabled and needing rehabilitation. Stroke has a greater disability impact than any other medical condition. A quarter of a million people are living with long-term disability as a result of stroke in the UK.

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