PROGRESS RECOGNISED OVER COUNTY’S STROKE SERVICES
Just a year ago the county’s stroke services were on borrowed time. Today (Thurs) they were
recognised for how far they have come.
Wye Valley NHS Trust (WVT) Board heard that progress was still tempered by poor performance
against patient targets for transient ischemic attack or “mini strokes”. The service has also had a
hard time recruiting, needing two new consultants and specialist nursing staff. But the “care
pathway” plan so much a part of securing a future for the service is in place as a multi-agency
approach to treatment from assessment to discharge. Stroke services are now all co-located on Wye
ward at Hereford County Hospital .Service unit manager Lynne Kedward told the board she was
“confident” of a strong stroke service if recruitment challenges could be met. The board, in turn,
recognised the extent of work done so far on a “big agenda” stroke patients make up a significant
specialist workload for the trust. Chief executive Richard Beeken, told the board he had been
“overwhelmed” by the number of stroke patients in Herefordshire compared to other trusts he had
worked with.
In April last year, the Hereford Times revealed that stroke patients could have to travel as far as
Worcester or Gloucester for treatment with the trust and the CCG at odds over a business case for
the services. The trust board had been told that the trust could not continue to provide a service
that was “under-sourced” and recognised as “sub-optimal”.
Resulting talks brought the West Midlands Ambulance Trust, NHS England and the Powys Local
Health Board into the fold to shape that case. By October, the trust and Herefordshire Clinical
Commissioning Group (CCG) announced a £1.1m investment in stroke services. The sum has been
secured through the CCG.
A Stroke Programme Board was set up to review current resources and agree plans to improve and
put a “stroke pathway” care plan in place. The plan offers seven-day services developed to a phased
programme based on national models of best practice and recommendations made by the British
Association of Stroke Physicians.