A Lottery for Stroke Scanning

THOUSANDS of stroke victims are missing out on life-saving brain scans because of the NHS postcode lottery.

Hospitals are supposed to give everyone a CT scan within 24 hours to ensure rapid, appropriate treatment.

But in the worst trusts across the country, only ten per cent of patients are scanned in time – putting them at far greater risk of disability or death.

The lottery also extends to access to MRI scans, which help doctors diagnose diseases such as cancer.

While patients at the best hospitals wait just a week, others are left for more than seven months.

Today’s issue of the consumer magazine Which? uncovered wide variations in the standard of care across the country – particularly over stroke care.

Every patient taken to Barnet General Hospital in north London receives the scan within 24 hours.

But only ten per cent of those turning up at hospitals in Hereford or Doncaster receive the scan in time.

Laura Funnell, of the Stroke Association, said: ‘Rapid access to a brain scan is critical for all stroke patients.’ Liberal Democrat health spokesman Norman Lamb said: ‘It is completely unacceptable that your chances of survival and full recovery depend enormously on where you live.’

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