People in east Kent are being urged to respond to a public consultation on the future of urgent stroke services in Kent and Medway, which runs until midnight on Friday 20 April 2018.
The NHS is asking for people’s views on proposals to establish new 24/7 hyper acute stroke units which, where they have been introduced elsewhere, have been shown to save lives and reduce disability. The consultation is also asking for views on potential locations for the units.
The proposals recommend creating three hyper acute stroke units in Kent and Medway, and give five different options for where these three new units could be located. If the proposals go ahead, urgent stroke services would not be provided in other hospitals in Kent and Medway.
Since the consultation’s launch on 2 February 2018, more than 2,500 people have given their views through the survey, at listening events, online interviews, focus groups, social media or by post. In total 28 listening events have taken place across Kent, Medway, Bexley and the High Weald area of East Sussex.
People are asked to read the consultation document and complete the questionnaire which can be returned online or by post.
Dr David Hargroves, Clinical Lead for Stroke Medicine at East Kent Hospitals University NHS Foundation Trust, said: “There are currently no hyper acute stroke units in Kent and Medway. At the moment, some people do not get the right treatment fast enough, particularly overnight and at weekends. Centralising urgent stroke care in three excellent hyper acute stroke units would change all that.
“I would like to encourage as many people as possible to take part in the consultation so their views are heard.”
Full details of the consultation and all the listening events that have taken place can be found on www.kentandmedway.nhs.uk/stroke
