Charity 'deeply concerned' about hospital's stroke advice

A charity said it was "deeply concerned" after a hospital advised patients presenting with a suspected stroke not to attend its emergency department.

Northern Lincolnshire and Goole NHS Foundation Trust said its Diana, Princess of Wales Hospital was "not the most appropriate place" for those experiencing symptoms because it did not have a specialist stroke unit. The trust advised patients to call 999 for an ambulance to take them to Scunthorpe General Hospital instead.

However, concerns have been raised by patients on ambulance waiting times.

A spokesperson for the Stroke Association said any lengthy wait for an ambulance was "unacceptable" as every minute could shorten the chance of survival.

In a social media post on Thursday, the trust said it had seen "a lot of instances recently" of patients arriving at the hospital.

The trust said: "This is not the most appropriate place to be seen, as we don't have a hyper-acute stroke unit at Diana, Princess of Wales Hospital.

"You should instead ring 999 if you've got symptoms and you'll be taken via ambulance to Scunthorpe General Hospital, which has the necessary facilities.

"If you do attend at Grimsby ED, you'll be sent to Scunthorpe via ambulance."

The post received criticism from some social media users with a number of individuals questioning what could happen to them if they were taken ill.

One person wrote: "Why as a member of the public in a state of emergency should we have to ensure we are heading to the right place?"

Others questioned the time taken and distance they would travel to reach the hospital by ambulance.

A user wrote: "The trip to Scunthorpe could add an extra 30-40 [minutes] on the journey."

Another wrote: "If you live closer to Grimsby then maybe that's the natural place you'd automatically think you should go!"

Samantha Jones, associate director at Stroke Association, said they were "hugely grateful" to medical practitioners who were working tirelessly under extreme pressure.

She said: "Despite their best efforts, systemic challenges are severely compromising ambulance response and hospital treatment times.

"If you spot any of the signs of a stroke in you or someone else, it's vital to call 999 straight away," she said.

A spokesperson for East Midlands Ambulance Service said: "Every 999 call is assessed based on the information provided by the caller and people experiencing a life-threatening emergency are responded to as a priority."

The NHS Humber Health Partnership said a hyper-acute stroke unit at Scunthorpe General Hospital provides "immediate specialist treatment and high quality care for all stroke patients in our area".

The unit at Scunthorpe was opened in 2013 after an NHS report described stroke services in Grimsby as "inadequate", which led to health bosses consolidating treatment onto one site.

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