Hospital stroke services improved

Staff providing stroke services at the four Greater Manchester hospitals run by Pennine Acute Trust have been praised for efforts which have seen them rated as the country’s ‘most improved’.

The services provided by Pennine Acute Trust, which runs  Rochdale Infirmary, Fairfield General Hospital, Bury, North Manchester General Hospital, Crumpsall and the Royal Oldham Hospital have gone from being below average in 2004 to above the national average this year.

The ratings come from the National Sentinel Stroke Audit, which is carried out every two yeas by the Royal College of Physicians, and supported by the Healthcare Commission.

Dr Ruth Jameson, Pennine Acute Trust medical director, said: “These results are down to the hard work of staff and the investment that has been put into stroke services. 

“We are pleased at the progress we have made in stroke services since the last audit. This is especially the case at Fairfield General Hospital, which has the highest score in the North West and the third highest score in the entire country.

“All sites have seen major improvements in their scores, either doubling them or almost doubling them. However, we will not be resting on our laurels - these efforts to improve services for patients will continue.”

Rob Barrow, lead nurse (stroke) said: “Each of the Trust’s four stroke units meet regularly to share best practice. We also have a very good working relationship with the local primary care trusts to ensure we are doing all we can for stroke patients.

“We’ve also been gradually increasing the number of stroke monitors we have, while also updating all the beds that stroke patients use as these help patients’ recovery.”

At Rochdale Infirmary, the Trust is working with Heywood, Middleton and Rochdale Primary Care Trust to improve access to physiotherapy services for patients who are in the acute phase of a stroke.

For the Bury service, the trust has developed its multi-disciplinary team, which is made up of including a stroke co-ordinator, occupational therapist, speech and language therapist, orthoptist, physiotherapist, dietitian, nursing staff, assistant practitioner, a stroke counselor, and is overseen by a consultant physician. This dedicated team, along with input from Bury Primary Care Trust, has helped with the excellent improvement to make it the highest scoring trust in the North West.

The Royal Oldham Hospital has seen have seen a vast improvement in the service since the last audit, with investment including a £1 million-plus dedicated stroke unit. New staff are currently being added, with recruitment underway for 3.5 new staff nurse posts, 2.5 healthcare assistants, and a part time housekeeper. Access to brain scans is also being improved for stroke patients, and the hospital’s CT scanner now has four dedicated slots for stroke patients.

At North Manchester General Hospital, the Homewood unit currently provides stroke rehabilitation services away from the main hospital site. The Trust is currently upgrading a ward in the main hospital building, to enable the unit to move closer to the acute stroke unit and diagnostic facilities, like x-ray. The unit is due to move in the summer, and forms part of a £500,000-plus investment scheme in wards.