Only half of the more than 10,000 Scots who had a stroke last year received the quality of care and treatment they are entitled to, according to new figures.

New figures published today by Public Health Scotland show Scotland is falling significantly behind its targets of 80% of patients getting access to the stroke care bundle.

Just 51.3% of the 10,803 people in Scotland who had a stroke in 2023 accessed a stroke unit within one day, received brain imaging, received aspirin if they needed it and were offered a swallow screening to check they were able to eat and drink safely.

Two major stroke charities are now calling for greater investment in Scotland’s NHS and stroke services.

Chest Heart & Stroke Scotland (CHSS) said years of failure in achieving stroke care targets should be a wakeup call to the Scottish government.

Chief operating officer at CHSS, Allan Cowie, said:

“Stroke can be life changing – leading to serious language impairments and physical disabilities. On the other hand, people who get the hospital care they need may make improvements and may be able to do much of what they did before – like working and carrying out activities that matter to them. 

“We want to see the Scottish government investing more in stroke care to ensure that when people have a stroke, they can be confident they will get the best start to their journey of recovery.

“We know money is tight for the government, but failing to deliver on stroke care is costing far more in longer hospital stays and care for people with related disabilities. This failure is costing lives and money, it needs to end now.” 

Stroke remains one of Scotland’s biggest causes of long-term disability, and the charity says quality of care is essential to recovery. 

The Scottish Stroke Improvement Programme annual report shows it took 55 minutes between a person entering hospital and receiving clot-busting medication – up from 51 minutes in 2021.

The wait was 17 minutes longer for stroke patients who arrived at hospital outwith normal working hours.

The report recognises that stroke services are being held back by wider hospital systems failures, with every NHS board across Scotland struggling to provide pre-COVID levels of stroke care.  

John Watson, Associate Director for the Stroke Association in Scotland, said this is having a “catastrophic impact” on stroke survivors and their families:

“We work closely with health boards and recognise the tremendous efforts of stroke teams on the ground, but they need more people, more innovation and more support to tackle the alarming number of people in Scotland affected by stroke.

“We want the health board leaders made accountable for stroke in last year’s Stroke Improvement Plan to see investment in the round. It will reduce ongoing support needs and, in turn, the pressure on the overstretched health and social care system.”

 

National rollout of thrombectomy still not a reality

The figures also reveal only 153 patients received potentially life changing thrombectomy treatment.

Although an increase from 112 in 2022, this is still only 1.4% of the total number of patients who could be eligible.

Thrombectomy involves a long tube being inserted into an artery in the leg then navigated to the brain to remove serious blood clots that cause severe strokes.

It is thought around 600 people in Scotland could benefit from the procedure every year, if it was to be available nationally.         

Chris Forsyth had a stroke in January 2022 and was admitted to the stroke unit at St John’s Hospital in Livingston for thrombolysis after arriving at A&E.

Chris – who now lives with aphasia and fatigue – said he thinks his quick treatment was key to his recovery and feels “extremely lucky”:

“They said I was lucky to have a stroke is on a weekday because on Monday morning everybody is there. That sticks with me. It shouldn’t matter if it’s a Sunday or a Thursday when they have a stroke the same level of care should be available.”

CHSS said it has been calling for dramatic improvements in stroke care for years, and campaigned for a national roll out of a thrombectomy service in 2017 which is still not being consistently delivered.

A Scottish government spokespeson said:

“We have made significant progress in many areas of stroke care over the last decade. However, stroke remains a leading cause of death and disability in Scotland, and we are committed to doing more to improve outcomes for those who have suffered a stroke.

“We published our new Stroke Improvement Plan in June last year, setting out the action we are taking on preventable strokes, including increasing access to thrombectomy procedures and ensuring timely and equitable access to life-saving treatment for those who need it."

 

Read more: Right to rehab: The first step to recovery; Shining the spotlight on aphasia

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