Almost 1,000 stroke victims missing out on vital treatment
It’s now been revealed that only 153 thrombectomies were carried out in Scotland last year and now stroke charities have come together to demand better services.
Chest Heart & Stroke Scotland and the Stroke Association have now joined forces and want to see thrombectomy services expanded, insisting it will reduce health inequalities for survivors.
Thrombectomy is a clot removal treatment that can vastly improve outcomes for stroke survivors as long as it is administered within the recommended timeframe.
The organisations now want the Scottish Government to invest some of the additional £1 billion allocated to the block grant from Westminster to ensure every stroke patient in Scotland eligible can have the thrombectomy, regardless of where they live or what day of the week or time of day they have their stroke.
Thousands of stroke victims still missing out on vital treatment
Currently, NHS Lothian is the only health board that offers thrombectomy treatment at the weekend with rates in Scotland lower than anywhere in England, and also lower than in Ukraine despite the ongoing war in that region.
Jane-Claire Judson Chief Executive of Chest Heart & Stroke Scotland said: “We know that the Scottish Government understands that stroke care is a priority, but the lack of progress in rolling out a national thrombectomy service is having a devastating effect on the lives of those missing out.
“To be most effective, thrombectomy should be carried out in a matter of hours from the onset of stroke. People are experiencing stroke at all hours of the day or night, weekday or weekend, so we would expect this treatment to be readily available across the country.
“However, at present access to thrombectomy varies widely from region to region, with NHS Lothian currently the only health board in Scotland that offers thrombectomy treatment at the weekend.
“It is unacceptable that Scotland should be lagging so far behind other countries in the delivery of this essential treatment. Thrombectomy is now no longer a cutting-edge procedure. It is a vital part of stroke treatment worldwide and yet Scotland’s rates are lower than anywhere in England, and despite the current war in Ukraine, the country still manages to do proportionally more thrombectomies per year than Scotland.”
Thrombectomy saves lives
John Watson, Associate Director for the Stroke Association in Scotland, added: “Thrombectomy saves brains, lives and money. It can change the course of recovery from stroke in an instant and is one of the most effective medical interventions ever developed.
“We understand the financial pressure the Government is under, but it’s short-sighted to mire a National Thrombectomy Service in arguments about pressures on the NHS – financial or otherwise. We believe improving stroke care is part of the solution to the current NHS crisis. If you get stroke care right, you get many other things right too.
“Thrombectomy is a powerful intervention that can reduce the risk of severe disability, and relieve pressure on the overstretched health and care system.”
One person who had a stroke and underwent a thrombectomy is Agnes-Ann Froude. She fell ill in January 2024 and underwent a thrombectomy at Dundee’s Ninewells Hospital.
Agnes Ann suffered a stroke
The procedure was such a success that she was discharged from hospital within a couple of days.
She had no warning a stroke was about to occur and the procedure happening within hours has massively helped her regain her life.
She said: “It’s an essential service and an amazing procedure. If it hadn’t been for the thrombectomy then I would have been in hospital for a considerable amount of time, and had to go through lengthy rehab, costing the NHS a lot of money.
“Instead, I had the thrombectomy at Ninewells in Dundee and within a couple of days I was back home in Kinghorn. I was initially, very wobbly and quite shaken but apart from that I didn’t require any rehab and I was soon able to get back to life as before.”
Agnes-Ann added: “I was extremely lucky that I met all the criteria for a thrombectomy and so was able to have the procedure and I was close enough to Dundee where the procedure is carried out to meet the time threshold elapsing between onset and treatment.
“A nurse told me that it was only available between 8.00am and 3.00pm Monday to Friday and if it was outwith that time, the outcome would be very different.
“It’s definitely a lottery. I’m extremely fortunate that I was able to have the procedure. I’d never heard of a thrombectomy before I had one and it saved me from a significant loss of both function and independence. I’m grateful for the wonderful care and professionalism of the NHS staff from start to finish.
“The more hospitals that offer thrombectomy, the more patients will be able to benefit and the long- term cost of hospital care and rehabilitation will be drastically reduced.”