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NAO report: Better access to stroke care

  • Last modified date:
    15 February 2008

The National Audit Office scrutinises public spending on behalf of Parliament. The NAO have produced a report looking at whether the NHS is providing effective and high quality stroke care services in England and whether the Department of Health is managing and supporting the programme of stroke care well. The report shows that notable progress has been made from a low starting point and recommends further improvements in preventing, treating and managing stroke patients, in line with recent evidence.

Joint statement by Liam Byrne MP, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Care Services, and The Stroke Association

Stroke is the third biggest killer in the UK and the biggest cause of severe disability.

There has been significant progress in stroke care in recent years - more patients than ever before are being seen by stroke specialists and numbers of stroke deaths are falling. 

However, we believe that much more needs to be done which is why we welcome the publication of the National Audit Office's report on stroke.  It highlights the challenges and opportunities for improving stroke care in the future.  For example, the report highlights that public awareness of stroke risks and symptoms is worryingly low, and that Transient Ischaemic Attacks (TIAs), or 'mini strokes,' are not always treated as important warning signs that need a rapid response.

Addressing the issues revealed by the NAO report will require a greater and more urgent attention to be given to stroke care across the NHS and social care services and an acceleration of the pace of progress.

We have a shared ambition to see continued improvement of provision of services to stroke and TIA patients.  We are committed to raising awareness of  the symptoms of stroke, and how it can be prevented.  We will work closely together to translate this shared vision into a programme of action to support the NHS in delivering better stroke care.  By doing so the incidence of and mortality from stroke can be dramatically reduced and the outcomes for people who have a stroke can be improved.  

The NAO's publications catalogue also includes links to the executive summary and supporting documents (use Ctrl+F to search for "stroke"):

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