Stroke Services (Kirsty Williams AM )

Cymraeg
English

Kirsty Williams AM <info@kirstywilliams.org.uk>

Stroke Services

May 29, 2009 12:00 AM
By Kirsty Williams AM in County Times 27th May 2009

Since 1999, 80,000 people in Wales have had a stroke, and sadly for a shocking 30,000 of these victims, the attack was fatal. Most people affected are over 65, but anyone can have a stroke, including children and even babies. A stroke is the third most common cause of death in the UK. It is also the single most common cause of severe disability - it kills three times as many women as breast cancer. Information to help keep fit and well is vital but so is information about the symptoms of a stroke.Prompt action could help a vast majority of victims to recover more effectively.

My own mother at the age of 55 was struck down by a devastating stroke. The effects were huge and lasted for the rest of her life. She could never pick up her grandchildren; she could not walk and play with them; she could not even communicate with them in a way that they could understand. I know the huge personal cost strokes can inflict upon families, and I have also seen first hand the huge social cost that strokes bring. My mother needed practically around-the-clock care when she came home from hospital and eventually my father had to give up work to care for her.

Recent documentaries and reports have placed Powys as one of the areas with the least developed stroke services in Wales and Wales itself does not compare favourably to other parts of the UK. With our aging population and sparse, rural communities, timely access to district general hospital services is really important to us in Powys. Whilst there has been a recent improvement in ambulance response times, they remain a huge area for concern. Also important is the ability to get back closer to home as soon as possible after a stroke. The community hospitals dotted around Powys provide wonderful opportunities for community rehabilitation. However, some of those hospitals are often unable to take stroke patients because of the lack of specialist staff. This includes a shortage of speech and language therapists to aid recovery. Difficulties in making oneself understood can be incredibly frustrating. People forget that speech and language therapists not only help with communication, but, importantly, with issues around swallowing which is really important in keeping people well. The dearth of speech and language therapists working in the community in Powys is amplified by the lack of physiotherapists who play a key role in helping people regain any mobility that may have been lost due to a stroke.

England started to invest in stroke care in the early 90s and they are seeing the benefits now. If Wales is to meet the same level in the future then the Welsh Government must show how they plan to increase the number of stroke units over the coming ten years. Their recent £2.5 million extra investment is of course welcome, but will only scratch the surface of the problem. I am continuing to lobby the Welsh Government for investment in community-based rehabilitation services to work alongside stroke units, as they play a vital role in rural areas such as ours. The Welsh Government has a lot of work to do to bring our stroke service up to the necessary standard and with an ever aging population this is becoming ever more essential. If you or your family have experienced a stroke I would be really pleased to hear about your experiences good or bad so that I can continue to make the case for more resources to assist the staff already working in our County.