UK stroke outcomes ‘worst in Europe’

Urgent reorganisation of the UK’s stroke services is needed to stop the country from having the worst outcomes from the condition in western Europe, a report has warned today.

Differences in care between the UK and western Europe are blamed on several organisational and structural problems in the UK’s stroke care systems.

Writing in the British Medical Journal (BMJ), Professor Hugh Markus at St George’s, University of London, argues that there is in particular a poor focus on acute stroke care.

He claims that in many European countries, North America and Australia, effective thrombolysis services exist, and in some centres as many as 20 to 30 per cent of eligible patients receiving thrombolytic therapy.

“In many European countries [brain scans are] performed on admission in the accident and emergency department, while in the UK many units struggle to provide it within 24 hours,” Professor Markus writes.

“Probably the most important outcome of reorganisation of services will be a general improvement in acute care of stroke,” he concludes.

Joe Korner, director of communications at the Stroke Association, said the charity has been concerned about stroke care in the UK for “many years” and argued it is “unacceptable” outcomes for people who have a stroke in the UK are worse than in other countries.

A national stroke strategy is under consultation until mid-October.