Wednesday 30 Oct 2013 @ 09:05
Welsh Government
Welsh Government
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Wales marks World Stroke Day
Health Minister Mark Drakeford has celebrated World Stroke Day at the official opening of an £11m state-of-the-art Stroke Rehabilitation Centre at Llandough Hospital.
During the event, he also published the first all-Wales annual report for stroke. This report is a major step towards delivering a more accountable NHS for the people of Wales, and shows progress in all areas of stroke care.
The Welsh Government provided Cardiff and Vale University Health Board capital funding of £11.258 million to support the development of the centre in University Hospital Llandough (UHL).
The new centre is purpose built and includes:
- 17 cubicle accommodation (all en-suite);
- 7 four-bedded bays with en-suite bathing and toileting facilities;
- a spacious dayroom with conservatory leading onto a small; courtyard, which provides safe outdoor space and outdoor assessment area;
- a large gymnasium and therapy assessment areas.
These facilities have significantly improved privacy and dignity for patients and provide an environment that assists recovery and rehabilitation.
The first annual all-Wales stroke report shows significant progress in all measureable areas.
There are three outcome indicators used to track stroke services; how often stroke occurs, the number of deaths from strokes and how long people live after having had a stroke.
On each of these there has been progress. The rate of emergency hospital admissions for stroke has fallen by 483 since 2010. The rate of deaths linked with stroke among those admitted to hospital has decreased from 69.4% in 2003 to 42.9% in 2011, and the 30 day hospital survival rate for stroke patients has shown improvement since 2006 – 2007.
Mark Drakeford said:
“We have seen huge strides in the treatment of stroke. We have invested almost £350,000 over the past three years to support the all Wales out-of-hours Telestroke service. Also, we have increased focus on thrombolysis, the use of drugs that breaks up clots in the blood, which is recognised as a vitally important.
“For the first time we are able to review how stroke services are performing at a local and national level. This annual report highlights the progress we have made and identifies areas for future improvement – and I cannot think of a better day to publish than on World Stroke Day.
“As the new Stroke Rehabilitation Centre shows the Welsh Government’s commitment to delivering world class care, the annual report demonstrates how we are working with health boards to improve stroke services and drive up standards of patient care in their communities.”
Lowri Griffiths, Head of External Affairs for the Stroke Association in Wales said:
“We welcome the publication of this, the first annual report on the Stroke Delivery Plan. The five year strategy sets out an ambitious framework for action and we look forward to seeing improvements year on year building on this baseline.
“We firmly believe that the Welsh Government’s ambition to support the NHS to drive stroke improvement is realistic and achievable and we look forward to supporting the stroke community in Wales to achieve better outcomes for stroke survivors and their carers”.
Related Links
Together for Health - Stroke delivery plan – annual report 2013
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