Stroke consultation to improve care

Improving stroke care for our patients

By working collaboratively with our local health partners, such as Southport and Ormskirk and the Walton Centre, together we plan to make a real difference to the care we provide to our stroke patients in the 72 hours after they have a stroke.

We want to provide the best experience and outcomes for our patients. A public consultation has now been launched giving local people the opportunity to find out about the plans improving hospital stroke care and share their views on the proposals.

The plans include a centralised model of acute stroke care, in which hyper-acute care is provided to all patients requiring stroke care across Merseyside. This will enable patients to get the care they need in a purpose built hyper-acute stroke unit (HASU). This will also mean that patients can access thrombolysis sooner from the Walton Centre.

The proposals will also have a positive impact on patients who have a ‘mimic’, which has similar symptoms of a real stroke. These patients will benefit from being seen by a stroke specialist nurse to get the right care in the right place for their condition.

Dr Claire Cullen, Stroke Consultant, said: "This is a fantastic opportunity for us to improve care for all stroke patients and build a sustainable service for the future. The plans will mean that more patients will have faster access to specialist treatment, such as thrombolysis and thrombectomy, and outcomes from stroke will be improved."

Tom Liversedge, Deputy Head of Ops, said: "The reconfiguration of stroke services across Merseyside forms a key part of our service transformation at Liverpool University Hospitals and aims to deliver world-class stroke services to the population of Merseyside. “Quality care is at heart of everything we do, and the prevalence of stroke is set to increase which will require specialist multidisciplinary care and rehabilitation.”

To support this work, the Integration Team have been meeting staff within the service to find out what they think about the proposals, the benefits of the proposed changes to both patients and staff and to understand some of the practical things we need to consider to make these plans a reality.

To find out more, or to take part in the public consultation visit: www.liverpoolccg.nhs.uk/stroke or email any questions to our Integration / New Hospital Team at integration.programme@liverpoolft.nhs.uk.