The medical director of the Stroke Association has praised the dedication of staff and the quality of care being delivered to stroke patients at Lister Hospital in Stevenage.
During her visit, Professor Deborah Lowe followed the patient journey from ambulance handover through to diagnostic imaging and specialist stroke wards, meeting staff, patients and senior leaders.
One of the highlights of the visit came when a patient receiving care on the stroke unit called Professor Lowe over to share their experience.
Professor Lowe said:
“I was moved when a patient who wanted to share with me how amazing their care had been.”
The visit provided an opportunity to celebrate areas of good practice whilst identifying opportunities to further strengthen stroke services and improve outcomes for patients.
The discussions formed part of the trust’s wider programme of improvement works to stroke care, focusing on reducing treatment times, enhancing access to specialist diagnostics and strengthening rehabilitation pathways for patients.
Recognising that stroke services face challenges nationally, Professor Lowe – who is also the National Clinical Lead for the Getting It Right First Time (GIRFT) Stroke Programme – commended the trust’s commitment to improvement, saying:
“It was brilliant to be invited to visit Lister Hospital to hear more about the excellent care being provided. The knowledge, expertise and dedication of the teams shone through in the conversations I had with both staff and patients alike.
“Like many stroke services across the country, there are challenges facing the multi-professional teams around delivering timely treatments, bespoke high intensity rehabilitation, and adapting to life at home after leaving hospital. However, there’s a high level of commitment to improve the treatment, care and support for stroke patients and their loved ones from across East and North Hertfordshire.”
Dr David Buckle, non-executive director for quality at East and North Hertfordshire Teaching NHS Trust said:
“We were delighted to welcome Professor Lowe to Lister Hospital and are grateful for the valuable insight she provided.
“Her visit highlighted both the dedication of our teams and the opportunities we have to continue improving stroke services for our patients.
“We remain committed to delivering the highest standards of stroke care and ensuring patients receive timely treatment, rehabilitation and ongoing support.”
