Chamber and committees

Around 10-15% of patients presenting with acute stroke in the NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde (NHS GG&C) Health Board area are candidates for reperfusion with thrombolysis. The other 85-90% of admissions require specialist local care. Within NHS GGC, acute stroke thrombolysis is already available on a 24/7 basis. This is currently based at the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital (QEUH) with a thrombolysis on-call rota covering the entire NHS GG&C area.

Patients presenting to the Glasgow Royal Infirmary (GRI) out of hours and at weekends with acute stroke, are assessed immediately on arrival and have appropriate imaging performed. If it is thought that the individual patient would potentially benefit from thrombolysis, then they will be transferred to QEUH. Patients presenting at GRI during weekday hours, who are thought to potentially benefit from thrombolysis, would have thrombolysis performed at GRI.

Patients presenting to other NHS GG&C sites with acute stroke, and who are thought to potentially benefit from thrombolysis, are either assessed, have appropriate imaging performed, and transferred to QEUH where appropriate, or are taken directly to QEUH by the Scottish Ambulance Service (SAS), where stroke thrombolysis can take place.

Reperfusion in acute stroke circumstances is time-critical, as the benefit of thrombolysis diminishes with any delay to treatment. Therefore, work is ongoing within the NHS GG&C Stroke Improvement Group to develop a consultant telemedicine thrombolysis model with local stroke specialist nurse support for patients presenting with acute stroke.

NHS GG&C can provide further information on the Acute Stroke Service.