Care given to stroke patients on NHS is not good enough
11/07/2006
Thank you very much for all your hard work, especially as the outcome is better than expected. Can't thank you enough.
Shana, Wiltshire
Stroke patients are not getting appropriate levels of care, a report has said.
Patients should spend more time in specialist stroke units - which would reduce the level of unnecessary deaths and suffering.
The report was produced by MPs sitting on the House of Commons Public Accounts Committee.
The report says that stroke victims would benefit hugely if the condition were treated as a medical emergency like suspected heart attacks.
The government said it was committed to transforming stroke services.
Stroke is England's third biggest killer, after cancer and coronary heart disease, but it has not been given the same priority or allocated the same resources as these conditions, the report said.
Over twenty per cent of stroke victims die each year and there around 300,000 people in England are living with severe or moderate disabilities as a result of strokes.
Unlike heart attacks, which have seen a 1.5% annual decline in mortality rates, the chances of a stroke victim dying has stayed the same over the last few years.
The cost to the NHS of treating stroke patients is currently much more than the cost of treating coronary heart disease patients.
Committee chairman Edward Leigh said: "Much more can be done to prevent stroke and to save lives and reduce disability."
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