§ Mr. DjanoglyTo ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people in England in each of the last three financial years have been recovering from the effects of a stroke; and of these, how many are(a) three years, (b) five years and (c) six years past the date of their stroke. [120677]
§ Dr. Ladyman[holding answer 20 June 2003]: The information requested is not collected centrally. The most comprehensive source of information is the National Sentinel Stroke Audit, carried out by the Royal College of Physicians. The audit was commissioned by the national health service in 1998 and was last updated in 2002. The results can be found at http:// www.rcplondon.ac.uk/pubs/strokeaudit01–02.pdf. The next Audit is planned for April 2004 in partnership with the Commission for Health Improvement (CHI).
The Department published the national service framework for older people on 27 March 2001, which includes a standard on stroke. It sets out a comprehensive strategy to ensure fair, high quality integrated health and social care and reduce variations in services.
The stroke standard provides for stroke prevention, immediate care, early and continuing rehabilitation, and long-term support as components of a service model for integrated specialist stroke services which will build on current arrangements and be in place in all general hospitals which care for people with stroke by April 2004.