Part of the debate – in the Senedd at 3:52 pm on 27 January 2021.
Wales needed a new stroke delivery plan before COVID; after all, early treatment is key to recovery. COVID has stretched already-struggling stroke services as it laid bare the fragile state of health and social care services, and mercilessly flayed our phenomenal staff and carers who are naturally programmed to go over and above the call of duty for stroke and so many other conditions.
I know the Welsh Government has been discussing successor arrangements to the stroke delivery plan. Such arrangements must address the huge present challenge of care for stroke, as well as progressing the tremendous medical advances that Wales must embrace. The new stroke delivery plan must include progress on hyper acute stroke units—HASUs—and developing the expertise of thrombectomy on an all-Wales 24/7 level.
Stroke costs over £1 billion in Wales today. That will rise to £2.8 billion per year by 2035. Wales has exciting opportunities under the new and enlightened leadership of the new national clinical lead for stroke, Dr Shakeel Ahmad. Thrombectomy is a marvellous invention: hooking out a clot from an artery in the brain to transform paralysis back into normal function—truly reflective of Lazarus's biblical experience, absolutely amazing, and we do a little of it in Wales now, but we need to do far more of it, and we need that comprehensive network of hyper acute stroke units—HASUs—dotted around Wales to do this, to clearly transform acute stroke care. We can do it.
Finally, nearly 40 years in health has taught me there is always more than one crisis at any one given time. I salute the heroic efforts of our staff. In the midst of this huge pandemic, Government cannot forget the future of stroke services: it must implement the cross-party group recommendations. Please support the motion. Diolch yn fawr.