Doctors say Labour threatens vital GPs
May 17 2008 by Paul James, The Journal
Leading stroke ward unites specialists to help patients more
STROKE victims will be given even better help on their road to recovery with the opening of a specialist ward at Northumberland’s biggest hospital.
Nursing staff have been switched from Morpeth Cottage Hospital to join their colleagues at Wansbeck General in Ashington in a move which brings stroke services together under one roof.
On Monday Wansbeck MP Denis Murphy will open the ward, which is aimed at speeding stroke patients’ recovery and allowing them to return home as soon as possible.
Bosses at Northumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust say it will also give patients access to the highest quality care, including expert clinical assessment, rapid imaging and clot-busting drugs, if needed.
Until now, stroke patients have been treated at Wansbeck General and then sent to Morpeth Cottage for rehabilitation. Trust managers say providing all stroke care in one unit allows patients to spend most of their time in hospital being looked after by a team with the necessary expertise to address respiratory, swallowing, dietary and communication problems which can affect stroke victims.
They say stroke unit care given by a specialist multi-disciplinary team is the single biggest factor that can improve a person’s outcome after a stroke.
The investment in the new ward has also allowed the development of an improved discharge service, including intensive support and rehabilitation at home provided seven days a week where appropriate.
The trust’s director of medicine Steve Russell said: "It’s important that stroke patients, who can be in hospital for a long time, are cared for by specialist staff.
"This new ward will provide a much improved environment with all the treatment they need for the acute part of their condition, as well as the rehabilitation period. I’m delighted to say that staff from Morpeth Cottage Hospital have joined their colleagues at Wansbeck and we can honestly say we have one of the most specialised teams providing stroke care at Wansbeck. This is good news for our patients.
"Northumbria Healthcare has already been recognised at national level as a leader in stroke care, and our patients and their families can be assured we will continue to delivery a high quality service."
