The UK lags behind other developed nations in stroke care and England is far from meeting its own targets, according to a new Health Foundation report.
Stroke is the third biggest killer in the UK. In England alone there are more than 110,000 strokes each year. It is the leading cause of long-term severe disability in adults.
The report for the first time brings together data on performance with evidence of what works and the cost implications of stroke. It forms part of The Health Foundation’s £2.5 million, five-year Quest for Quality and Improvement research initiative.
In response to the report’s findings, The Foundation will soon launch a programme with hospitals in the North West of England. This aims to increase by an estimated 30% the number of people in the region who could survive a stroke and make sure that many more stroke survivors could walk out of hospital without a long-term disability by 2010. This would see stroke care in the North West reach an unprecedented level for any English region. The programme is being run in partnership with the Stroke Association and the Royal College of Physicians.
The report shows that the UK lags behind other major western countries in cerebrovascular disease mortality – a disease of the blood vessels supplying the brain often leading to a stroke. The UK saw a 16% fall in mortality between 1997–2004, whereas Germany saw a 33% reduction during the same period.
The report also highlights the benefits of effective preventative programmes and food regulation. As many as 69% of strokes in inner London could be prevented by reducing hypertension, treating abnormal heart rhythms, stopping smoking and prescribing statins. Bread and cereal manufacturers could also prevent 8,000 strokes a year in England by reducing their salt content.
Stephen Thornton, Chief Executive of The Health Foundation, said: ‘This report shows that stroke services are still not good enough in England, but continued that ’we are confident that the stroke strategy is beginning to make important changes but it is clear that more needs to be done quickly.’ Reflecting on the Foundation’s work in the North West he said ‘the challenge is now for Government and the rest of the NHS to keep increasing the pace of change.’