We call on the Government to commit to a new national stroke strategy

The current stroke strategy is coming to an end and the Government has said that they have no plans to introduce a new one. Right now the Government is not listening to stroke survivors who want and need a national stroke strategy. Without this, lives could be at risk.

Stroke survivors are not getting the care and support they need. We are calling on the government to commit to a new national stroke strategy to drive improvements in treatment, care and support so that every stroke survivor can make the best possible recovery.

Find out more: www.stroke.org.uk/newera

Great progress has been made on stroke since the introduction of the stroke strategy. Fewer people are dying from stroke and treatment has improved considerably:

• 82% of stroke patients now spend the majority of their hospital stay on a stroke unit compared to around 60% in 2010;

• access to immediate brain scanning has improved considerably with around 92% of patients receiving a brain scan within 12 hours of arriving in hospital compared to around 70% receiving a scan within 24 hours in 2010;

• 85% of eligible patients now receive clot busting drugs, giving them a better chance of regaining their independence following a stroke, compared to 25% in 2010.

The stroke strategy remains valid and implementation continues. There are, therefore, no current plans to renew the strategy. However, action is being taken to ensure we continue to make progress on stroke. This action includes;

• ongoing work across the country to organise acute stroke care to ensure that all stroke patients, regardless of where they live or what time of the day or week they have their stroke, have access to high quality specialist care;

• a cardiovascular disease (CVD) collaborative group, hosted by NHS England, is to coordinate reducing premature mortality in both primary and secondary care settings in relation to people with, or at risk of CVD including stroke; and

• NHS England’s National Clinical Director for Stroke continues to work with the Urgent and Emergency Care Networks, clinical commissioning groups, voluntary agencies and individual providers to support better commissioning and provision of stroke care.

More generally, the NHS Five Year Forward View recognises that quality of care, including stroke care, can be variable and that patients’ needs are changing and new treatment options are emerging. The Five Year Forward View sets out high level objectives to address these issues.

Department of Health