Stroke Association in Wales welcomes funding for critical care

The Stroke Association in Wales has welcomed Health Secretary Vaughan Gething’s announcement that critical care services in Wales are set to benefit from a £15m fund, and has called for some of this to support the development of better stroke care in hospital.

Stroke services in Wales have improved in recent years but there is still further to go. In the most recent results, 5 of the 12 stroke units in Wales scored a C grade or below. Performance on access to important treatments like clot busting drugs can also vary significantly between hospitals.

The Stroke Association has called for part of the £15m fund to support the ongoing reconfiguration of acute stroke services in Wales. Evidence shows that organising stroke services to larger, specialist units improves outcomes for patients. In areas where stroke services have been reconfigured this way, there have been improvements to stroke survival and a reduction in hospital stays.

In its 2017-20 Stroke Delivery Plan, the Welsh Government notes the need to redefine services into this hyperacute model. The new larger units are known as hyperacute stroke units (HASUs).

Matt O’Grady, Policy Officer for the Stroke Association in Wales said:

“This is a once in a generation opportunity to provide the world-leading care and treatment which stroke survivors across Wales deserve. A stroke is a life changing event, but with the best treatment and support, we can save more lives and help people make the best possible recovery.

“The Welsh Government wants to see health boards restructuring their acute services along the lines of the HASU model. Although this may mean a slightly longer travel time for some people, the evidence shows that getting them to a larger site with better specialist care really does work.

“However, there are varying barriers to improving acute services in Wales. Part of the money announced by the Cabinet Secretary could go towards making improvements to some of the potential HASU sites, or supporting staffing and training in certain parts of Wales.”