47,000 stroke patients may miss out on ‘miracle treatment’ that could save lives and prevent life-changing disability
- Mechanical thrombectomy uses stent to remove large blood clots from brain
- But the Stroke Association has said more than 47,000 patients will miss it
- That is, it adds unless NHS England and the government take immediate action
- Stroke Association calls for 24/7 thrombectomy, saving £73m a year
Thousands of stroke patients could miss a ‘miracle treatment’ that could save lives and prevent life-changing disability.
A mechanical thrombectomy is a game-changing treatment that uses a stent to remove large blood clots from the brain.
But the Stroke Association says more than 47,000 patients will miss it in the next seven years unless NHS England and the government take immediate action.
That is based on the number of thrombectomies in the year 2020-21.
Juliet Bouverie, the charity’s director, said: ‘Thrombectomy is a miracle treatment that brings patients back from near-death and alleviates the worst effects of stroke.
“It’s shocking that so many patients miss out and are burdened with unnecessary disabilities.”
There is a stroke every five minutes in the UK, affecting around 100,000 people each year.
The Stroke Association is calling for a 24/7 thrombectomy service, which it predicts would save £73 million a year by lowering the cost of care for people with stroke in the long term.
the Stroke Association says more than 47,000 patients will miss a mechanical thrombectomy in the next seven years unless NHS England and government take immediate action (stock image)
The charity says only a quarter of thrombectomy units are open 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and 42 percent only during business hours.
The Stroke Association says NHS England has missed its target of making mechanical thrombectomy available to more patients – just 28 per cent of those who would benefit.
The charity also highlighted an “unacceptable postcode lottery” in healthcare, with nearly eight percent of stroke patients undergoing thrombectomy in London in 2020-21, according to figures it provided to doctors’ magazine Pulse.
That compares with less than three percent in other parts of the country, although the statistics may be skewed as some areas send people to London for treatment.
Professor Martin James, Stroke Association consultant to the Royal Devon and Exeter NHS Foundation Trust and a Stroke Association clinical trustee, said: ‘Thrombectomy is truly a breakthrough treatment, but the number of people receiving the treatment in the UK remains high. lower than elsewhere in Europe, and has increased only slowly in recent years.
“At this rate, it’s not available to everyone who can benefit from it for many years to come.”
A spokesperson for the NHS said: ‘By bringing services together through newly created stroke networks, we are supporting local clinicians to provide 24/7 access to thrombectomy, anticoagulant medicines and other life-saving specialist stroke services in every part of the country. ‘
A government spokesperson said: ‘We are growing the workforce in health and social care, with more than 4,000 more doctors and 9,600 more nurses compared to last year, and more than 1,400 more doctors in general practice compared to March. 2019.
‘We are grateful to health personnel across the country who continue to improve stroke prevention and treatment – including access to thrombectomy – as part of the ambitious NHS long-term plan.’