NHS to roll out specialist stroke centres across England

Specialist centralised stroke units are to be rolled out across England in a move that the NHS says will save thousands of lives.

Establishing specialist stroke units like those that already exist in London and Manchester will give patients faster access to diagnosis and treatment, NHS England said.

Announcing the plans at the NHS Confederation conference in Manchester on 20 June, Stephen Powis, NHS national medical director, cited a recently published study1 which found that 170 extra lives are saved a year in London and Manchester thanks to hyper acute stroke units.

Powis said: “In London and Manchester …