The new service ‘transforms’ patient care as stroke sufferers gain access to a specialist stroke consultant 24-hours-a-day, seven days a week.

Patients are being assessed and treated within the first 12 hours after admission to hospital as part of efforts to improve stroke care for people brought to Ninewells hospital in Dundee.

The third most common cause of death in Scotland, stroke is also the most common cause of severe physical disability amongst adults.

There is strong evidence that early diagnosis, and treatment in a specialist unit, delivers better outcomes for patients. 

The new service provides all Tayside and north east Fife patients with round-the-clock access to a specialist stroke consultant.

After patients have received critical treatment, they can be stepped down to their local stroke unit, usually after around 48 to 72 hours or when clinically stable.

“We have too many patients dying from stroke or being left with life-long disabilities,” says consultant and clinical lead for stroke at Ninewells hospital Dr Matthew Lambert.

“Quickly accessing the right assessments, specialists, investigations and treatments can reduce this impact.

“This includes seeing a stroke specialist, being admitted to a stroke unit, being assessed by therapists and, where clinically appropriate, receiving emergency treatments to remove blood clots such as thrombolysis or thrombectomy.

“Having a specialist unit for admissions at Ninewells will mean people will be able to access stroke expertise seven-days-a-week rather than the previous Monday-Friday, nine to five service.

“It also makes best use of the limited specialist workforce available in Scotland so makes our service more sustainable.

“Moving to a single admission site will also support proposals which are currently being developed to establish Ninewells Hospital as a regional centre for the delivery of thrombectomy for the north of Scotland.”

A service proposal and business plan are currently being developed to establish Ninewells Hospital as a regional centre for the delivery of mechanical thrombectomy in the north of Scotland.

The new stroke care service has been developed with support from Scottish Ambulance Service and endorsed by the Stroke Association Scotland.

Andrea Cail, director of Stroke Association Scotland said: “We welcome and support the announcement by NHS Tayside of a new hyper acute model of stroke care. We believe the service will enable people to be assessed quickly 24/7 and then have access to thrombolysis if they are eligible for it and potentially thrombectomy in the future.

“Given you are more likely to have a stroke and die from a stroke in Scotland, compared to other parts of the UK, it is very encouraging to notice the thirst for change in Tayside to improve stroke treatment and care.

“We want to see every health board in Scotland looking at the evidence available on the benefits of reorganised stroke care, to consider rebalancing the unwarranted variations in acute stroke care in Scotland.”