Hospital's emergency stroke unit closes
BBCStroke patients requiring urgent care in part of the West Country will be taken to hospitals 20 to 30 miles away from Wednesday, an NHS care board has confirmed.
Yeovil Hospital's emergency hyper-acute stroke unit is closing despite a campaign to keep it open - and patients will be taken to Taunton or Dorchester instead.
Campaigners had argued there was "no logic" in the closure, which they said left patients at risk. Yeovil Hospital will retain its acute stroke provision on site.
Dr Bernie Marden, chief medical officer representing NHS Somerset and NHS Dorset integrated care boards, said they were "committed" to finding the best solution for all stroke patients in Somerset and Dorset.
He said: "We all know that getting timely treatment, and importantly in the right place, is in the best interest of a stroke patient and this system helps us to make that judgement much quicker."
John Falconer, who represents patients in Yeovil and across south Somerset, said: "If you live in and around Yeovil, you will initially be taken to Taunton or Dorchester for immediate treatment - that's not good enough.
"Stroke is a time-critical issue and you need medication as quickly as you can. Because of the delays, patients will be harmed. Clinical outcome will not be as good as it would have been."
Stroke services are categorised by the NHS as either hyper-acute, where emergency treatment is required within the first 72 hours, or acute, where the stroke is less life-threatening.
A hyper-acute stroke unit treats patients in the first 72 hours following a stroke and provides brain scans and drugs to treat blood clots.
Patients will now been seen at Taunton's Musgrove Park Hospital or Dorset County Hospital in Dorchester.
A new Pre-Hospital Video Triage system is also being introduced across Somerset and Dorset, in which ambulance clinicians will be able to consult stroke specialists via video link while assessing patients.
NHS bosses said the new service would be monitored closely following implementation and would include a range of patient safety measures.
The NHS advice for anyone experiencing a stroke is to call 999 as it is an emergency.
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