Quality of stroke care – SINAP quarterly figures

New quarterly figures showing the quality of stroke care in hospitals in England and Northern Ireland are now available on the Royal College of Physicians website: www.rcplondon.ac.uk. The results show local hospital results for patients admitted between July and September 2011.

Hospitals taking part in the Stroke Improvement National Audit Programme (SINAP), the continuous national stroke audit which looks in detail at the first 72 hours of care, have supplied information on aspects of patient care, including:

How many patients had a brain scan within 1 hour (nationally, 32% compared to 30% in the previous quarter)

How many patients had a brain scan within 24 hours (nationally, 86% compared to 85% in the previous quarter)

How many patients saw a stroke consultant within 24 hours (nationally, 82% compared to 79% in the previous quarter)

Whether or not the patient is admitted directly to a stroke unit, and whether or not they reached the unit within 4 hours (nationally, 61% compared to 55% in the previous quarter)

Whether or not the patient received thrombolysis (clot busting drug) when they were potentially eligible for it (nationally, 54% compared to 52% in the previous quarter)

Whether or not the prognosis/diagnosis was discussed with a relative/carer within 72 hours where applicable (nationally, 86% compared to 86% in the previous quarter)

Whether or not the patient had a continence plan drawn up within 72 hours where applicable (nationally, 68% compared to 60% in the previous quarter)

Whether the patient was seen by nurse and one therapist within 24 hours and all relevant therapists within 72 hours (nationally, 57% compared to 53% in the previous quarter)

and other standards, which are included in the full results spreadsheet

The audit, commissioned by the Healthcare Quality Improvement Partnership (HQIP), is carried out on behalf of the Intercollegiate Stroke Working Party by the Royal College of Physicians’ Clinical Standards Department. It is a continuous audit, taking place all year round until 31st March 2012, with hospitals submitting data on patients as they are admitted and treated. Individual hospital results are available on the College website, including details of hospitals which are eligible to participate in the audit but did not submit sufficient (or any) data.