DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH
News Release issued by The Government News Network on 7 May 2008
- Stroke care
coordinators to support survivors and their carers -
Every local authority in England will be able to appoint a
dedicated Stroke Care Coordinator to support stroke survivors and
their carers thanks to millions of pounds of extra funding for
stroke services, Health Minister Ann Keen announced today.
The Government has committed £77m over the next three years to
develop innovative new approaches to delivering stroke services
and support areas of poor performance to propel the NHS and social
services towards meeting key markers in the Stroke Strategy.
Published in December, it set out a bold vision for the delivery
of world-class stroke services, from prevention right through to
life-long support.
There are some 900,000 in England people living with the
consequences of a stroke. Stroke is also the largest single cause
of severe disability in England, so much of the extra investment
will go towards better long-term support for the 300,000 people
living with moderate to severe disabilities as a result of stroke.
Every local authority will receive a ring-fenced grant worth an
average of £100,000 per year. This money could fund:
* A stroke care coordinator, especially where local authorities
do not currently have a specialist, social care focussed, approach
to supporting people and their carers affected by stroke. Such a
role would provide a person-centred approach to delivery of
services across local government and the NHS;
* Counselling and support services to help survivors come to
terms with the emotional and cognitive effects of stroke;
* Support to get back to work, for example through a vocational
rehabilitation scheme
In addition, every Strategic Health Authority will receive £2.4m
over the next three years to invest in improvements to acute
services across the country. We want the NHS to support areas of
poor performance and share best practice across the service. This
extra money could be used to:
* Quicken the response to stroke, which could include
reorganising emergency response, stroke teams and radiology units
to ensure rapid access to scans, thrombolysis and early
multi-disciplinary assessment;
* Improve access to rehabilitation services, which could include
setting up an early supported discharge scheme or moving
rehabilitation into a community setting.
Health Minister Ann Keen said:
"Stroke survivors often say that the full impact of their
condition only hits them once they leave hospital. For some, this
can feel like a time of abandonment, when it is hard to know how
to access help.
"That is why extra investment in social services is so
important. We know that long-term support needs to be better
coordinated and local authorities have a critical role to play
alongside the NHS and the voluntary sector in improving services
for the thousands of people living with disabilities as a result
of stroke.
"Only by working together will we deliver the level of
after-stroke care survivors and their carers deserve."
Jon Barrick, Chief Executive of the Stroke Association, said:
"All too often stroke survivors tell us that their
transition from hospital back into the community was daunting and
disorganised with poor links between health and social services.
That's why this announcement to help stroke survivors in the
community is so important.
"By providing these ring-fenced resources to social
services, we hope to see a vital increase in specialist and
voluntary sector stroke expertise in the community - something
stroke survivors desperately want and need."
Professor Roger Boyle, National Clinical Director for Stroke, said:
"Treating stroke as an emergency will save lives. The
challenge now for the NHS is to accelerate its response to stroke.
Some people will benefit from clot-busting drugs, but everyone can
benefit from getting into hospital quickly, being seen by a
specialist and scanned within three hours of feeling unwell.
"I want to see the NHS use this extra money to develop
rapid-response systems so that people are scanned quickly before
being swiftly moved to a specialist stroke unit for the best treatment."
A stroke can be diagnosed by using FAST - Facial weakness, Arm
weakness, Speech Problems, Test all three. If someone has these
symptoms you should call an ambulance straight away.
Notes to editors:
1. Stroke is a blood clot or bleed in the brain which can leave
lasting damage affecting mobility, cognition, sight or
communication. Each year more than 110,000 people in England have
a stroke, costing the NHS over £2.8bn.
2. Stroke is the third biggest killer in England, with 50,000
people dying from it each year.
3. The Department of Health published its Stroke Strategy in
December 2007 following consultation with a wide range of
stakeholders, including people who had themselves experienced
stroke. By following the actions in the strategy, up to 6,800
deaths and cases of disability could be avoided every year. Key
measures in the strategy include:
* MRI scans for higher-risk individuals with Transient Ischaemic
Attack (TIA) - also known as 'minor strokes' - within
24hrs of experiencing symptoms. Within seven days for low-risk
individuals. This could lead to an 80 per cent reduction in the
number of people who go on to have a full stroke.
* Immediate transfer of those with suspected stroke to a
specialist centre offering immediate clinical assessment, scans
and clot-busting drugs. All local areas will have 24/7 coverage by
at least one specialist centre.
* Those with stroke requiring urgent brain imaging scanned within
the next scan slot during normal working hours, and within 60mins
out of hours.
* People affected by stroke and their carers should have
immediate access to high quality rehabilitation and support from
stroke-skilled services in hospital, allowing people to get home
faster. This specialist care should continue for as long as it is needed.