Council to launch legal action over location of hyper acute stroke units outside area

Medway Council is to seek a judicial review of a decision by clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) to locate three hyper acute stroke outside its area.

On 14 February the Joint Committee of Clinical Commissioning Groups for the Kent and Medway Review of Urgent Stroke Services announced that the units would be located at William Harvey Hospital, Darent Valley Hospital and Maidstone Hospital.

Cllr Alan Jarrett, Leader of Medway Council, said: “I am utterly disappointed at the final decision on the locations of the three hyper acute units. Even though the review of stroke services across Kent and Medway established that Medway Maritime Hospital currently cares for more stroke patients than any other hospital in the county, the Joint Committee of CCGs have decided that a unit will not be provided in Medway.

“I have made my views very clear since the start of this process – lives will be put at risk if stroke patients have to travel long journeys to get to their closest hyper acute unit. I am deeply concerned by this decision, especially as Medway Maritime Hospital is the local hospital for more than half a million people across Medway and Swale. When these changes happen, if any of them have a stroke they and their families will no longer be able to receive care locally. The hospital has already invested heavily in stroke services and provides a wide range of support to help care for patients to improve their outcomes.

“We will be challenging this decision on behalf of all the patients who use and need this fundamental lifesaving service and we will be starting the process for a judicial review.”

The joint committee’s decision came after a five-year review of urgent stroke services, led by local stroke specialists who looked at a wealth of data and evidence which showed that centralising stroke services in three hyper acute units was the right thing for patients, the CCGs claimed. “It will reduce disability and is expected to save an extra life every fortnight,” they said.

The CCGs added: “At the moment despite the hard work of dedicated NHS staff, stroke services in Kent and Medway are some of the poorest in the country. This is not acceptable and that is why the stroke review has worked so hard over the last five years to bring about change.”