West Sussex stroke-care plans backed by senior doctors

Leading health professionals have given their views on plans to improve hospital-based stroke services.

Clinical leaders believe that the proposals being shared as part of a formal public consultation process would ultimately mean more local people would be able to survive a stroke, and more survivors would be able to maintain greater independence as they recover from the potentially devastating impact of such a traumatic event.

The proposal is to create an Acute Stroke Centre (ASC) in Chichester, for the coastal area of West Sussex. This would mean Worthing Hospital would no longer receive people who are experiencing a stroke.

Instead patients would go either to the ASC at St Richard’s Hospital in Chichester, or the Comprehensive Stroke Centre at Royal Sussex County Hospital in Brighton – already a well-established regional centre of excellence offering round-the-clock expertise and the latest treatments.

The NHS said existing services in Chichester and Worthing do not meet national standards and do not provide care 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

Dr Rajen Patel, a consultant stroke physician at University Hospitals Sussex NHS Foundation Trust, which runs the hospitals, said: “We know that stroke care must be provided quickly, but we also know that if all the right elements of stroke care are available in one place, we can improve how we treat and support people who are experiencing a stroke.

“Evidence shows that patients have better outcomes if they are treated at a larger Acute Stroke Centre, and this is why our clinical experts and NHS partners have been looking at how we could develop one of these centres in West Sussex.

“People may travel another 10 to 15 minutes in an ambulance to their local stroke centre, but we know that because of all the specialist expertise at that service, this would be better for them when they need our help most.”

The NHS is holding a public consultation into the proposals, and more than 250 people have already submitted their views.

The NHS said key advantages of the proposals, which have been developed by senior clinicians working in hospital, primary and ambulance care over two years, include: access to specialist stroke services 24 hours a day, seven days a week; a reduction in deaths from stroke; fewer people living with long-term disability following stroke; fewer people losing their independence and being admitted to nursing or care homes and shorter stays in hospital.

An NHS spokesperson said: “The Brighton and Chichester centres would work together as a network so everyone in the coastal area of West Sussex would be within a 60-minute ambulance journey to a stroke centre staffed by the right specialists, 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

“Most journeys would take place within 45 minutes. Rehabilitation services would also still be available across the county, either in people’s homes or in a healthcare setting.”

Dr Patel added: “We know that a more centralised approach to our stroke care would mean patients have better outcomes, shorter lengths of stay in hospital, mortality rates would be are lower and we know the longer-term benefits would be greater.”

Health leaders want to hear from people living across the county, to gather feedback on the proposals. The public consultation process runs until April 21.

Details of the plans, including how people can submit their views, can be found on the NHS Sussex website: www.sussex.ics.nhs.uk/stroke-west-sussex