Stroke is the third largest cause of death in the United Kingdom and other developed countries. Early diagnosis, including a brain scan, and treatment in a specialist hospital based stroke unit have been shown to be effective in improving outcomes. The NHS in England has recently introduced the target that all hospitals should ensure stroke patients are given a CT scan within 48 hours of admission and are treated in a specialist stroke unit. The minority of hospitals that do this are achieving significantly better in-hospital death rates.