Don't have a stroke in Cornwall - admission by main consultant

The postcode lottery we all have to put up with for basic wellbeing is horrendously unjust. Bristol has a specialised stroke care unit too. I had to wait two and a half hours for paramedics, so my fate could well have been the same as that chap. For me, personally, even before stroke, the two most important community based conditions in life have always been the environment and health. These things should not just be a zeitgeist , they ought to be part of our standard, embedded community principles. It worries me that there is no firm plan for our healthcare system, and for those who contribute to it, whether they be patients or workers.

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I think it’s the same in a lot of areas now. One of our neighbours had a stroke & the ambulance took over 4 hrs to arrive. He sadly died a couple of weeks later. I took myself, well hubby took me, to hospital as it was much quicker than waiting for an ambulance.
The NHS appears to be broken & not sure how theyee going to fix it :slightly_frowning_face:

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Terribly sad that someone who might have recovered did not get a chance, but this is a reminder that stroke is a killer. All of us here who survived are the lucky ones, although it is not always easy to remember that.
Janet

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The system appears broken in all areas of the UK.

As for Southmead hospital in Bristol they so say claim to have a specialist stroke unit! However, I totally disagree… they do NOT have any specialist surgeons available to perform a thrombectomy outside their working hours Monday-Friday 8am-4pm!! We were not even considered or offered the TPA.

My 54 year old partner suffered his 1st stroke within his brain stem, caused by a vertebrae artery dissection on 9th December 21. He was fortunate at that stage to not have any deficits, so they discharged him on Saturday 11th December at 8pm, with an anticoagulant.

18 hours passed from discharge & all of a sudden on Sunday afternoon, he was hit with a devastating stroke within the basilar artery (the original blood clot progressed from the PICA,) This caused life changing deficits. There were no ambulances available so we drove him directly to the hospital.

En route I phoned A&E to request support on arrival, only to be told they could not do anything until he was booked in. She so say kindly advised me to have a ÂŁ1 coin or trolly token for a wheelchair!! (Mind blowing!!)

He continued to deteriorate that afternoon, yet his hospital records contradict the decline in consciousness, the left sided weaknesses, he continued to become less coherent. Unable to talk with full body paralysis. He suffered a seizure (not witnessed by staff as they were not present) he projectile vomited across the room, looking like a scene from the exorcist!! Still no nurse present or any intervention.

Although, we were informed later that evening that he would require an operation on Monday morning!

When I questioned “Why not now” especially as he continued to decline, the nurse clearly stated “We don’t have the service providers”

It wasn’t until I researched the protocols & learnt new knowledge regarding strokes, I discovered the surgeon’s working hours!!

I am still flabbergasted that Regionally Bristol do not offer life saving or life changing treatment outside the working hours 8am-4pm mon/fri. The thrombectomy was performed within a brief 20 minute operation!

As my partner stroked on a Sunday, we had no other option but to sit & pray! It’s totally despicable!

And as for the nurses care that so say followed, while he was hospitalised for 5 weeks before being transferred to rehab, the majority of the nursing staff lacked basic care, basic respect, & basic support. Yes, I totally understand the pressures on NHS staff, yet even his basic care needs were rarely met & they definitely amounted to neglect. Not just for my partner but for the other 4 patients within the same bay. Sadly the other patients did not have a voice or an advocate! What I witnessed on a daily basis is shocking & totally heartbreaking.

10 months on & the grief & PTSD remains raw!

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@CorraB it is really disheartening to read your story. I’m not surprised you’re still feeling raw 10 months on. Stroke treatment only available during daytime hrs is ludicrous.

I hope your partner is now doing ok.

Best regards.

Ann xx