BMJ  2005;331:1161 (19 November), doi:10.1136/bmj.331.7526.1161

News

Watchdog finds that NHS is failing stroke patients

Rebecca Coombes

London

The first 150 words of the full text of this article appear below.

The UK National Audit Office has found that the NHS is failing stroke patients at all points of the patient's journey from initial emergency treatment through to rehabilitation.

The study found that stroke costs the economy £7bn ($12.1bn; {euro}10.4bn) a year, making it the most expensive illness in the United Kingdom. But by failing to prioritise stroke cases as medical emergencies the NHS was missing out on savings that would result from shorter hospital stays and higher recovery rates, the watchdog found.

The study found that emergency care was lacking throughout the health service—despite the fact that rapid access to specialised services reduces death and disability in stroke patients. Although patients with a suspected stroke should have a brain scan within three hours, most patients in 2004 waited more than two days. Most hospitals have the capacity to provide computed tomography scans within 24 hours of admission, the report says.

. . . [Full text of this article]


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