Response from Director Scotland to the Scottish Stroke Care Audit 2018

Andrea Cail, Director Scotland of the Stroke Association said:

“The Scottish Government remains committed to delivering world-leading stroke care; however stroke remains the third biggest killer in Scotland and we continue to have exceptionally high levels of stroke-related deaths compared to the rest of Western Europe.

We are pleased to note the improvements outlined in the audit, but some serious challenges remain.

Most notably, we are disappointed to see a significant number of hospitals not performing well against the standard set for delivering thrombolysis. The earlier a clot is dissolved with thrombolysis which unblocks an artery and allows blood to flow through the brain, the less disability will be experienced.

We are also extremely concerned about the delivery of thrombectomy.

In 2017, only 13 people received thrombectomy, and currently no centre in Scotland is providing it. The Audit identifies around 600 Scots per year as potentially benefiting from this life changing treatment. A national committee has been established to plan a Scottish thrombectomy service, but the process is slow and the consequence again is that many patients have been left with worse outcomes and significant disability.

We are calling alongside Chest, Heart and Stroke Scotland for the provision of thrombectomy in Scotland to be tackled as a priority by the Scottish Government, with national funding identified by the NHS. Those eligible stroke patients in Scotland deserve the same access to this life-changing treatment as in England.”