Mobile unit to bring ‘hospital-level care’ to stroke patients

Hospital-level care is being taken into homes in Norwich as part of a trial to speed up stroke patient’s treatment.

The East of England Ambulance Service and Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital have teamed up to run a mobile stroke unit in the greater Norwich area for six weeks with the hope to run a permanent service in the region.

The stroke unit is a modified ambulance and is staffed by a consultant and paramedic who can access clot busting drug treatment and CT scan as well as a video link with a radiology consultant at the NNUH to ensure a speedy diagnosis and treatment.

Dan Phillips, EEAST area clinical lead, said: “The ambulance is great in reducing the time it takes to diagnose and treat a patient who is having a stroke and it could have a big benefit for people living in rural areas. It is bringing hospital-level care to the patient’s home.”

Dr Annie Chakrabarti, consultant stroke physician at NNUH, added: “We are delighted to be involved in this exciting initiative. If we can intervene and administer clot-busting drugs within 60 minutes of the stroke happening, this could make a really significant difference to the outcome for these patients.

“Patients who require admission to hospital for further treatment will also be admitted directly to the stroke unit, reducing the need to attend the Emergency Department.”