| Topic | Current Scottish Stroke Care Standards (2021) |
|---|---|
| Access to stroke unit | 90% of all patients admitted to hospital with a diagnosis of stroke are admitted to the stroke unit on the day of admission (day 0), or the day following presentation at hospital (day1), and remain in specialist stroke care until in-hospital stroke-related needs are met. |
| Brain imaging | 90% of patients have CT/ MRI imaging within 12 hours of admission unless there is a documented contraindication. |
| Swallow screen | 100% of patients are screened by a standardised assessment method to identify any difficulty swallowing safely due to low conscious level and/ or the presence of signs of dysphagia within 4 hours of arrival at hospital before the patient is given any food/ drink or oral medication. The result of the screen/ test should be clearly documented in the patients’ notes. |
| Aspirin prescribing | 95% of patients in whom a haemorrhagic stroke has been excluded, or other contraindication, as specified in the national audit, are given aspirin on the day of admission (day 0) or the following day (day 1). |
| Delay from receipt of referral to specialist neurovascular clinic | 80% of new patients with a stroke or TIA are seen within 4 days of receipt of referral to the neurovascular clinic. (Day 0 being day of receipt of referral). |
| Thrombolysis | Managed Clinical Networks (MCNs) monitor the delay between arrival at the first hospital and administration of the bolus of recombinant plasminogen activator. 50% of patients receive the bolus within 30 mins of arrival.
80% of patients receive the bolus within one hour of arrival. |
| Early carotid intervention | 80% undergoing carotid endarterectomy for symptomatic carotid stenosis have the operation within 14 days of the event that first led them to seek medical assistance. |
| Scottish Stroke Care Bundle
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80% of all patients admitted to hospital with a diagnosis of stroke should receive the appropriate elements of the stroke care bundle.
The key elements of the stroke care bundle are: 1. Admission to the stroke unit on the day of admission, or the day following presentation at hospital; 2. Screening by a standardised assessment method to identify any difficulty swallowing safely due to low conscious level and/ or the presence of signs of dysphagia within 4 hours of arrival at hospital; 3. CT/ MRI imaging within 12 hours of admission; and 4. Aspirin is given on the day of admission or the following day where haemorrhagic stroke has been excluded, or other contraindication, as specified in the national audit. The current Scottish Stroke Care Standards are available to access here.
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Page last reviewed: 10 Aug 2022
