The NI Stroke Services Consultation, Reshaping Stroke Care 2019 aims to create Hyperacute stroke units attached to acute stroke units, while cutting existing stroke units “to as few as sites as possible” to consolidate staff.

This is a consultation like no other, where the Department of Health is inviting people all over Northern Ireland to decide which stroke units will be kept or closed.

If all acute stroke units in Northern Ireland had an equal chance – this would be fair consultation – but they do not.

Some entire Councils have been omitted completely. (E.g. Newry, Mourne & Down locality, and its population of 179,000 people).

SIX OPTIONS WHICH EXCLUDE ENTIRE POPULATIONS

There are Six Options in the Questionnaire of preferred hospital sites to choose for Hyperacute/Acute Stroke Units in Northern Ireland.

In this NI Stroke Consultation the existing acute stroke units in Daisy Hill, Newry and Causeway in Coleraine are excluded and do not even get a chance to be selected, because they do not appear anywhere in the Six Options.

These excluded populations are not even given the Option to voice their discontent with being left out – as the Options Question does not have a neutral or ‘Disagree’ or ‘None of the above’ Option.

At the other end of the spectrum, appearing six times, in each available Option are the stroke units in Altnagelvin, Craigavon and Royal Victoria Hospitals. Their continuation has been pre-determined and recruitment for their foretold Hyperacute stroke Units may have already started.

WE PRE PAY FOR EMERGENCY SERVICES INCLUDING STROKE & HEART

Hospital services are paid for with public money –general taxation, national insurance contributions and rates (including business rates).

All adults in Northern Ireland prepay for their life saving emergency care and hospitals, but this consultation downgrades Stroke from a time dependant Emergency service (which includes immediate vital CT scanning to confirm if patients are eligible for Thrombectomy and for Thrombolysis.

The NI Stroke Consultation 2019 has stated various research to justify the choices that have been made, determining which hospitals will keep or lose their acute stroke units in Northern Ireland – but the very supporting research referred to, does not fully back up these configurations.

These research Topics are looked at in more detail in the next article: https://savedaisyhillhospital.com/2019/05/05/ni-consultation-document-does-not-fully-follow-the-research-evidence-referred-to/

We have a right to continue to challenge, at every opportunity, these vital healthcare decisions

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