NHS patients across Coventry and Warwickshire are set to benefit from better treatment pathways and improved health outcomes after local health leaders revamped the way in which they deliver stroke care.
As a result of years of work and planning, all patients who suffer strokes will now receive their first round of care at a specialist unit at University Hospital Coventry, whilst those who require further treatment will be transferred to a rehabilitation unit at either Royal Leamington Spa Rehabilitation Hospital in Warwick or George Eliot Hospital in Nuneaton.
The Community Stroke Rehabilitation Service will also be on hand to attend to those who no longer need hospital care but still require continued specialist support in their road to recovery.
The changes mean that the new stroke pathway is aligned more with the rest of the country with local health professionals believing that patients will see the benefits of the revised system right from the start.
Dr Anthony Kenton, Consultant Stroke Neurologist at University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire NHS Trust, said: “We are committed to providing the highest possible standard of care for all stroke patients across Coventry and Warwickshire. These changes mean that patients, no matter where they live in the region, will receive the same high-quality treatment and have the best possible chance of recovery.
“Timely and effective treatment is crucial to maximise a patient’s chances of recovering from a stroke, and patients will start seeing the benefits from the new pathway right away.”
Modifications to the stroke treatment pathway come after extensive consultations between 2016 and 2019 that analysed the efficacy of the way stroke care was delivered in the Coventry and Warwickshire region. The analysis identified unwanted and unnecessary variation in the range and quality of service provision.
The £4m overhaul means that all stroke patients across Coventry and Warwickshire will now receive the same quality of treatment irrespective of where they are in the region.
Phil Johns, Chief Executive Officer of NHS Coventry and Warwickshire ICB, said: “There has been close cooperation between health and care organisations across our region to ensure these changes go smoothly. Staff from right across the stroke pathway have worked extremely hard to ensure patients receive excellent care from day one and I’d like to pay tribute to their efforts in making this possible.
“Close co-operation between the NHS, Local Authorities and the voluntary sector is a core principle of Integrated Care Systems. This is a great example of the difference that we can make when organisations involved in the delivery of health services work together and I hope we can build upon this going forward.”
