Care given to Brighton and Hove stroke patients wins praise

The quality of care offered to stroke patients in Brighton and Hove has been rated among the best in the country

Brighton and Hove City Teaching Primary Care Trust said that it had been ranked second out of England’s 151 PCTs in a review by the Care Quality Commission.

The CQC looked at how patients are supported by health and social care services to cope with life after a stroke.

It covers 15 categories with top marks awarded for

• joint working across different organisations
• sending people home from hospital promptly and with support
• offering a variety of support
• helping patients make informed choices about their care
• helping people get their lives back to normal
• good end-of-life care for those who don’t survive a stroke

The weakest areas were

• GP monitoring of patients and helping them to prevent another stroke
• care and support after a transient ischemic attack or mini-stroke
• involving stroke survivors and carers in planning services

The PCT – also known as NHS Brighton and Hove – said that several organisations worked closely in Brighton and Hove to give stroke patients the best possible chance of recovery and rehabilitation.

These include the PCT itself, Sussex Community NHS Trust, Brighton and Hove City Council and Brighton and Sussex University Hospitals NHS Trust, which runs the Royal Sussex County Hospital.

Dr Lisa Argent, the chairman of the PCT’s Professional Executive Committee, said: “Stroke is the single largest cause of disability in adults.

“Access to high-quality care including intense rehabilitation can make all the difference to people’s recovery and quality of life.

“The findings of this independent review highlight how partnership working across the city is providing a range of excellent services that benefit local stroke patients.”

The CQC review looked at hospital discharges home after a stroke and at community-based rehabilitation and support services for stroke patients.

NHS Brighton and Hove commissions a specialist community neuro-rehabilitation team, run by Sussex Community NHS Trust (SCT).

It offers a comprehensive range of support including physiotherapy, dietary advice, occupational and speech and language therapy, and a befriending scheme for people with communication difficulties after a stroke.

Superb

Louise Mayer, team leader of SCT’s community neuro-rehabilitation team, said: “This superb achievement has come about as a direct result of the close relationships we have built up and maintained with our colleagues across the local NHS and council.

“Our ability to provide high-quality, seamless care for our patients is down to the close collaboration between our expert team of physiotherapists, occupational therapists, social workers, speech and language therapists and rehabilitation assistants, among others.

“I am so proud to have been part of such a fantastic team.”

Councillor Ken Norman, the council’s cabinet member for adult social care, said: “This is testament to the hard work and commitment between the council, its health partners and staff which ensures there is a care pathway so people recovering from a stroke receive the best possible care at the right time and in the right place.

“The neuro-rehabilitation team works with people at the earliest departure from hospital to capture a person’s potential for recovery at the right time.

“The multi-agency approach helps to see the needs of the whole person from physical recovery through to the psychological and social.”

As well as receiving quality care after returning home, recent developments in acute services also give local people the best possible chance of recovery after a stroke.

Dr Nicola Gainsborough, lead consultant for stroke services at Brighton and Sussex University Hospitals, said: “This result shows that stroke patients at the Royal Sussex County Hospital are consistently receiving treatment and care that is among the best in England.

Improvements

 “It recognises the huge improvements that have been made, both in our hospital services and in the after-care and rehabilitation these patients receive in the community, particularly in Brighton and Hove. 

“For someone who has had a stroke, the right specialist care and support can have a huge impact on the speed and extent of their recovery.

“Our thrombolysis service is now available 24 hours a day, seven days a week, to administer drugs within three hours of a stroke to patients from Brighton and Hove and Mid Sussex.

“Patients are admitted directly to our dedicated stroke unit, with immediate access to specialists.

“And we are working closely with local community rehabilitation teams to make sure that appropriate levels of support are available in the right setting for patients when they leave hospital.”

A summary version of the report can be seen by clicking here.

A fuller version can be seen by clicking here.