In the UK there are over 1.2 million stroke survivors with two-thirds of that number leaving hospital with a disability.
Public Health England data suggest that the average age for someone having a stroke is decreasing, with over a third of strokes in adults aged between 40 and 69, according to a newly published Stroke Impact report from the National Institute for Care and Excellence (NICE). Whilst survival rates have improved, the national focus is now on how stroke can be prevented, treated quickly, and how people can be supported afterwards.
The acute care section of the report says,"How quickly people receive a brain scan after arriving at hospital is a key part of acute care and helps to determine which treatment will be most effective. All people with symptoms of acute stroke should have brain imaging as soon as possible."
A case study from Plymouth Hospitals illustrates the stroke care pathway from the emergency department to CT scan and from CT to thrombolysis. Another looks at the benefits following the reconfiguration of the London stroke service.