Stroke

A comprehensive stroke centre for North Merseyside has been created at Aintree University Hospital, dedicated to caring for people in the critical 72-hour period after a stroke occurs.

The new centre brings together the hyper-acute stroke care previously based at the Royal Liverpool University Hospital, Aintree University Hospital, and Southport Hospital.

Providing this service from a single unit is designed to improve access to the specialist staff, tests, equipment, and procedures that are crucial for diagnosing and treating people as quickly and effectively as possible following a stroke. 

Suspected stroke patients will avoid attending our emergency departments and will be seen straight away by stroke specialists.

Locating the hyper-acute aspect of the stroke service at Aintree University Hospital, means it will be on the same site as The Walton Centre NHS Foundation Trust, the specialist neurosciences hospital, which provides a stroke treatment called thrombectomy, available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. 

This will significantly increase the number of local patients able to receive thrombectomy within the required time window.

After the first 72-hours, up to half of patients will be able to leave hospital to continue their recovery at home, with help from an early supported discharge team. Those patients who aren’t ready to go home, will be given further care at either Aintree, Broadgreen or Southport hospitals, depending on which is closest to where they live.