Emergency Stroke Services

Part of 2. Questions to the Minister for Health and Social Services – in the Senedd at 2:48 pm on 29 September 2021.

Alert me about debates like this

Photo of Baroness Mair Eluned Morgan Baroness Mair Eluned Morgan Labour 2:48, 29 September 2021

Thanks very much, Jenny. I'm really sorry to hear about the situation that your constituent found themselves in. I think that is obviously wholly unacceptable and very difficult, and certainly nobody should be waiting 27 hours after a stroke. But, obviously, it's difficult for me to go into detail about individual matters. As you say, the pressures on our emergency services continue to remain extremely high at the moment. There is a complex range of national and local challenges across the system that are impacting on that patient flow, and that includes incredible demands that are coming from the public, as well as asking the workforce who have been at it for such a tremendous amount of time now. But, as you say, I think that the triaging system in Cardiff is something that is pioneering, trying to avoid people coming in, getting them to phone first and then trying to get them to the right place. So, it is rather surprising that they weren't directed to a more appropriate place. But it may be that the system is just trying to keep people away from hospital, rather than specific places in the hospital, and it may be worth a chat about seeing if that system can be tweaked somewhat. But I know, in terms of Cardiff, that there are some very innovative programmes when it comes to stroke, that 72 per cent of stroke patients in Cardiff have also access to supported discharge and there has been an award-winning programme in Cardiff and Vale, the Stop a Stroke campaign, and 90 per cent of practices have taken part in that programme.