Hospitals 'failing stroke victims'

The Stroke Association says the situation is a "national scandal"

More than 75% of stroke victims in the Thames Valley area fail to receive treatment in a specialist unit, a new report claims.

The Stroke Association also says there are specialist facilities in just 57% of the region's hospitals in the region.

That is despite a government requirement for every hospital in England and Wales to have a stroke unit by April 2004.

But the association praised Reading's Royal Berkshire and Battle hospitals for providing a good level of treatment for stroke sufferers.

'National scandal'

Slough's Wexham Park Hospital is acknowledged as having its own stroke nurse co-ordinator despite being one of those without a specialist unit.

The association says the lack of specialist units is to blame for more than 12,000 people dying or becoming disabled each year following a stroke.

It described the situation as "a national scandal" and urged ministers to take action.

Jerry Doyle, of the Stroke Association, said: "People are dying because a stroke is not always treated as the emergency it is.

"Stroke patients are left on general wards, where there is no specialist equipment or staff."

But ministers say the figures are out of date and improvements are being made to stroke services.

The Department of Health says 83% of hospitals are on target to meet the deadline for having a specialist stroke service.