New figures show Heartlands Hospital, which is part of Heart of England NHS Foundation Trust, to be among the regions’ best at providing stroke patients with fast access to specialist assessment and treatment, in turn giving them a much better chance of making a full recovery.

Part of the Trust-wide reconfiguration of stroke services included opening of a new state-of-the-art specialist stroke unit at Heartlands Hospital earlier this year benefiting patients from across the Heartlands, Good Hope and Solihull Hospital catchment areas.  The current data indicates that this remodeling has led to improvements in care in the majority of areas, placing Heartlands as one of the highest performing in the region.

The data, which is submitted for the Sentinel Stroke National Audit Programme (SSNAP) is based on a number of quality measures.  This includes length of time to be assessed by a stroke nurse on arrival in A&E, whether patients are rapidly admitted to a dedicated stroke unit, and how many patients are given clot-busting thrombolysis treatment.

Peter Carr, lead nurse for stroke, said: “We are really proud of the stroke service we provide at Heartlands Hospital.

“This data is an indication that introducing the new hyper acute stroke unit is proving to benefit patients through safer and improved quality of care.  The first 72 hours after a stroke are critical, and it is fantastic that patients have fast access to the right specialist care which will enable them to make the best possible recovery.

“We are continuing to look for ways to further improve so that we can build on the excellent performance to date for the benefit of our patients.”

Dr David Sandler, clinical lead for stroke services at Heart of England NHS Foundation Trust, said: “The reconfiguration of stroke services has been a major step forward for Heart of England NHS Foundation Trust.  The indicators suggest a significant improvement in the care delivered to patients as well as outcomes. It would not have been possible if it were not for the collaborative working of clinicians of all disciplines and Trust management.”