Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if she will commit to increasing the availability of mechanical thrombectomy for patients on the NHS.

The National Stroke Service Model, published by NHS England in May 2021, articulates optimal evidence-based stroke care. Patients are expected to be seen by a stroke specialist clinician within 60 minutes of arrival and have a treatment plan determined. The National Health Service monitors and improve acute stroke care within the Sentinel Stroke National Audit Programme. This data is regularly reviewed and informs the programmes priorities and supports quality improvement. In addition, NHS England are supporting pilots to test a new video-triage virtual consultation project between paramedics and stroke teams to ensure patients are assessed and conveyed to the most appropriate centres.

NHS England has committed to increase the delivery of mechanical thrombectomy to 10%, to ensure that a further 1,600 people each year maintain their independence after a stroke. The latest data show that 2.8% of patients are currently receiving a thrombectomy following a stroke. Thrombectomy is available in 24 centres in England, with two non-neuroscience centres under development.