Write a commentThe Southern Health and Social Care Trust has claimed that re-locating the Specialist stroke inpatient unit to Craigavon Hospital will improve survival and recovery rates!
A Trust spokesperson said “The decision taken by the Trust Board in November to create a single specialist stroke inpatient unit within the Trust at Craigavon Area Hospital was based on compelling clinical evidence that this will improve survival and recovery rates in stroke patients.
The Trust would be failing in its duty of care to the local population if it did not implement best quality of care for people living in the Southern Trust area.
This decision was taken after carefully considering the views of the public, elected representatives, staff and local trade unions gathered throughout a 20 week public consultation.
The Trust made its final decision taking into consideration the compelling evidence from bodies such as the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence and the Royal College of Physicians which clearly indicates that the model of care that a centralised unit will provide has been shown to improve survival and recovery rates in stroke patients.
Moving to this new model of inpatient stroke care including the centralised unit in Craigavon Hospital is essential to maintain and develop hospital-based care that is of the highest quality and meets national standards and guidelines which we have not yet achieved in any of the four hospitals where we currently provide stroke inpatient care.
While people may be concerned about the impact of relocating their local inpatient stroke services, which is approximately 10 beds for Daisy Hill, they should be assured that going to a specialised centre further away for a number of days will actually increase survival and recovery rates. The Emergency Department in Daisy Hill Hospital will still receive stroke patients and will continue to provide stroke lysis if that is the most appropriate emergency treatment.
The inpatient care provided to Trust stroke patients is good but our ambition is to make it even better by ensuring stroke patients are treated in a dedicated new specialist unit by expert staff on a seven day basis. The fact that two-thirds of Trust stroke patients are taken to Craigavon was a deciding factor in where to locate the new unit.
The specialist stroke inpatient unit model has been used effectively elsewhere in the UK and already exists in parts of Northern Ireland and we are confident that by bringing together the resources from the four hospital inpatient stroke services we can provide an enhanced level of care which will reduce the devastating impact of stroke on the health of people in the Southern Trust area.”
Trust has "Ignored the views of the public"
Commenting on the Trust's statement Sinn Féin MLA Mickey Brady said that despite their claims to the contrary many believe that the Trust have completely ignored the views of the public, elected representatives, staff and local trade unions gathered throughout a 20 week public consultation.
"This statement has been met with great dismay and sadness in the local community. The Trust we believe has completely ignored the strong views held by the public, elected representatives, staff and local Trade Unions against the proposal to close the vital Unit.".
