06/11/2019 | Press releases

ESNEFT among country’s best for stroke care

New data shows that stroke patients at Ipswich and Colchester hospitals are getting timely access to specialist treatment and assessment, in turn giving them a better chance of making a good recovery.

The most recent SSNAP (Sentinel Stroke National Audit Programme) data places the hospitals, which are run by East Suffolk and North Essex NHS Foundation Trust (ESNEFT), among the country’s best across a variety of criteria designed to measure quality of care.

Both received a SSNAP level A rating, which means they achieved “the highest standards for almost all patients.”

The audit looks at a range of factors, including how quickly patients are given a brain scan, whether they are rapidly transferred to a dedicated stroke unit and how many patients receive clot-busting thrombolysis treatment.

Ipswich scored particularly highly for the measures which are in place to aid recovery and rehabilitation, such as access occupational therapy, while Colchester scored top marks for providing fast access to specialist assessments and physiotherapy.

Both hospitals were commended for the way patients are discharged.

Dr Sajid Alam, an ESNEFT stroke consultant based at Ipswich Hospital, said: “We are proud of the stroke care we provide at ESNEFT and delighted that this latest data has placed us among the country’s best.

“It is great news for our patients that we are able to provide high quality, fast and effective care which gives them the best possible chance of making a good recovery. However, we cannot be complacent, and will continue to look for ways to enhance the service trying to provide access to services like thrombectomy for even better outcomes for patients.

“We have made changes to improve the care we provide; better access to inpatient speech and language therapy, specialist stroke nurses requesting earlier scans. We also work closely with the ambulance service so that patients who have had a suspected stroke can go straight for a CT scan when they arrive at hospital to aid earlier assessment.

“Acting quickly is essential when someone has suffered a suspected stroke. We would urge people to familiarise themselves with the signs of stroke and call an ambulance immediately they notice problems with their face, arms or speech.”

The SSNAP data is the most recent which is currently available, and relates to care provided between April and June 2019.

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