Praise for hospital's life-saving stroke treatment

Neuroradiologist Dr Sanjeev Nayak said to see a patient walk out of hospital days after a stroke was amazing

The medical director of NHS England has praised Royal Stoke University Hospital for a 24/7 stroke service that is saving lives.

Prof Stephen Powis said University Hospitals of North Midlands (UHNM) was probably the best performing trust in the country for mechanical thrombectomy.

People in many other areas are dying or suffering disability and care is a postcode lottery, a conference in the city was told.

Mechanical thrombectomy involves threading a catheter through an artery into the brain to suck out a blot clot that is depriving the brain of oxygen, allowing patients to lead normal lives.

The conference was told that across the country NHS trusts treat only 4% of stroke patients eligible for the procedure, compared with 13% in Stoke-on-Trent.

Deborah Kelly and Peter Hooper said their lives had been saved by the procedure

Peter Hooper is back to running half marathons after suffering a crippling stroke in June 2020. The 64-year-old said he suffered survivor guilt because he is one of the lucky ones.

"If I hadn’t been half an hour away from Stoke-on-Trent, I probably wouldn’t have made it. When I go to the European Union, they tell me if someone needs this treatment they get it," he said.

Deborah Kelly, 54, a prison officer from Staffordshire suffered her stroke in January 2023 and is now playing rugby.

"This treatment is massively important. It saved my life and it saved everyone else’s life here today," she said.

Neuroradiologist Dr Sanjeev Nayak said a third patient, Dr Ravi Prashant, definitely would have died if he had not been airlifted to the hospital.

The cancer specialist is now back at work.

Dr Nayak said even Stoke was hampered because the hospital only has one suite.

"We need more nurses and radiologists, but elsewhere it is a postcode lottery," he said.

"To see a patient who could suffer paralysis or blindness walk out of hospital in days is truly an amazing thing.

"This is one of the most effective treatments anywhere in medicine and must be a 24-hour service across the country."

As many as 10,000 patients a year who could benefit may be missing out on this treatment.

The national target of treating 10% by 2026 is currently at just 4%.

Prof Powis said he was making it a priority to visit all 24 centres nationally to see what could be done.

He said progress had been hampered by the Covid pandemic.

"I know how much passion has gone into this in Stoke-on-Trent. This is a fantastic service and that's the reason I’m in the city today."