Latest editorial
A general view of staff on a NHS hospital ward at Ealing Hospital in London
THE NHS is failing stroke patients due to pressures on the health service and “deep inequalities in care,” with some facing a postcode lottery for life-saving treatment, according to a new report.
The Stroke Association is calling for urgent government action to address the delays, including a wider rollout of video technology, PVT, that allows specialists to diagnose patients before they arrive at a hospital.
The report highlights that long ambulance waits, handover delays and limited access to imaging for diagnostic testing are preventing patients from receiving vital, time-sensitive treatment.
With more people dying each year and many spending their final days in institutions, researchers argue that wider access to palliative care could offer a more humane and cost-effective alternative, write ROX MIDDLETON, LIAM SHAW and MIRIAM GAUNTLETT
