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Front Line in Stroke Prevention - Report
The Front Line Report was commissioned to look at the current status of anticoagulation treatment in the UK and to identify key issues that anticoagulation clinics and the patients who attend these clinics face.The clinics provide a valuable service monitoring patients who are often at high risk of stroke. However, over recent years an increasingly ageing population and new NHS guidelines to improve management of older patients, including those at risk of stroke, have led to increased pressure on anticoagulation monitoring facilities.There are concerns over the ability of the clinics to cope with the increasing demand and the impact that this may have on the patients that they monitor. Stroke is the single biggest cause of severe disability and the third most common cause of death in the UK. Each year 110,000 people in England and Wales have their first stroke, and 30,000 have a further stroke. (1) Every five minutes, somebody in the UK has a stroke. (2) Two surveys were carried out to establish how the increasing pressure on already stretched services is impacting on the ability of clinics to provide an effective service and patient experience.The results set out in this report suggest a system that is now stretched to breaking point and indicate that thereis an urgent need for improved services and treatment for patients requiring anticoagulation. As highlighted in the document 'Creating a Patient Led NHS' there is a need to provide fast, convenient services, provided more locally and shaped around people's needs and preferences. The results outlined in this report have helped us to identify key steps which we believe need to be taken now to protect this group of patients who are at high risk of death or disablement from stroke. We hope that this report will be the first step to highlight this growing issue and drive change in the management of atrial fibrillation and stroke, to ensure improved care and resources for this highrisk group in order to avoid a potential crisis.
or send a large (A4 flat) stamped addressed envelope (with a 60 pence stamp) to: AntiCoagulation Europe, PO Box 405, Bromley, Kent BR2 9WP. Bulk orders of leaflets and magazines can be ordered from Anticoagulation Europe. Please email for a price list.
References (1) The National Service Framework for Older People. Standard Five: Stroke. Department of Health, London, 2001. (Available online at www.dh.gov.uk) (2) The Stroke Association.The Cost of Stroke Factsheet. Available at http://www.stroke.org.uk/professionals/information_and_resources/the_cost_of.html | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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