Best Health InsuranceNHS delays costs the lives of 500 mini-stroke victims a year
We are all familiar with the prolonged NHS waiting lists, but are we aware of the consequences?
A recent review has shown that mini-stroke victims are being put at risk due to the lack of urgency in the NHS response.
Patients that have suffered a mini-stroke are at high risk of a suffering a severe, full-blown stroke if they do not receive the surgery they require within the recommended time frame of 14 days. After this time, the effectiveness of the surgery is reduced.
However, a review of over 3000 cases has shown that only 1005 NHS patients received the potentially life-saving surgery within this time frame and perhaps more worrying still, that the average wait for this surgery was 28 days.
Whilst the review acknowledged that the delayed response can be partially attributed to a patient’s inability to recognise the symptoms, which include facial or arm weakness, speech problems or blurred vision, the Royal College of Physicians audit states that it is also because the NHS views such cases “low priority”. Issues at the root of these NHS delays include lack of GP referral, hospital staff and equipment.
With around 150,000 people in the UK suffering a stroke every year and so many of these missing out on crucial surgery, it is estimated that mini-strokes are now costing the lives of 500 people a year.
In view of the imminent NHS spending cuts, it seems unlikely that problems relating to NHS delays and waiting lists will be resolved in the near future, making private health insurance more important than ever!
