Southmead Hospital: Specialist stroke unit could save 15 lives a year

A hospital is set become a centre of excellence for stroke patients which could save up to 15 lives a year, health chiefs have said.

The plans for Southmead Hospital in Bristol were approved at a meeting on Tuesday and will go out to a 13-week public consultation.

It would become a hyper-acute stroke unit with the region's stroke experts under one roof if given the go-ahead.

It is hoped the centre will prevent stroke victims being left disabled.

Bristol, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire Clinical Commissioning Group heard patients would be rushed to the north Bristol site instead of their nearest hospital.

Phil Clatworthy, consultant stroke neurologist at North Bristol NHS Trust, said at present, the standard of care and treatment varied.

He said: "Unfortunately we know the care and treatment you receive after a stroke depends very much on where you live and what time of day it is, so the chances of surviving and maintaining your independence after a stroke will vary across the region.

"We estimate that in comparison with our current services the changes should save 15 lives a year, allow 60 to 70 people to live fully independently at home after their stroke and 60 to 70 people to avoid needing a new, permanent care-home placement."

He added there was evidence that emergency care by specialists at a centralised stroke unit substantially reduced the risk of dying or being left disabled, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS).

Kevin Haggerty, CCG North Somerset representative for Weston-super-Mare and Worle, said he would like to see "levelling-up" of services.

"Your audit showed that our outcomes are not as good as everyone else's so we have the most to gain," he added.

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