06.08.13
Centralising stroke care reduces deaths by 12%
Closing stroke units to centralise treatment in fewer specialist centres has saved money and lives, new research has confirmed.
It comes as other NHS reconfigurations are facing extreme opposition from local campaigners and politicians.
Since 2010 ambulances in London have been taking patients to specialist stroke units for the first critical 72 hours, before being moved to one of a greater number of hospitals for follow-up care.
A study published in the Public Library of Science journal shows the reorganisation of stroke care has led to a 12% reduction in deaths, with survival rates at 90 days increasing from 81.5% to 88.7%.
The shift also saved money, with an estimated saving of £811 per patient, due to faster and better treatment, the researchers from UCLPartners found.
One of the authors, Dr Charlie Davie, director of neuroscience at UCLPartners and consultant neurologist at the Royal Free London NHS foundation trust, said: “Our study shows that a system directing patients to high-quality stroke units in the first 72 hours following stroke saves lives and money.
“The centralised model worked well in London because of the high-density population and the hospital distribution that permitted ambulance travel times to remain within viable limits.
“Our study could be used to support the implementation of similar models in other large populations, and further research is ongoing to examine whether the London model is viable in other geographical and clinical settings.”
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