Stroke Consultant Shortage leaving public at risk of Brain Injury

There are 1.2 million stroke survivors in the UK, according to the Stroke Association, with someone suffering a stroke every 5 minutes. So it’s concerning that nearly half of all Hospitals in England, Wales and Northern Ireland has at least one stroke Consultant post unfilled.

The Stroke Association is highlighting this staffing shortage because of the clear evidence that access to experienced stroke medical professionals gives sufferers the very best chance of avoiding a serious brain injury and instead being able to rebuild their lives. 

As medical negligence solicitors we often encounter cases where there have been shortcomings in care. My colleague, Sevim, has blogged about the importance of acting FAST in order to avoid a brain injury. 

The Victoria Derbyshire programme featured this story last Friday, with two individuals explaining that they were not given appropriate care when reporting to hospital with classic stroke symptoms. Instead, their symptoms were misdiagnosed and ignored, leaving them with lasting, irreversible brain damage. Sevim’s blog explores the common failures that leave patients with irreversible brain damage. 

If you are worried that someone you care about could have avoided a brain injury if they had had effective treatment for their stroke then please call us on 020 7814 1200. 

About the author

Kirsty is a Senior Associate in the Medical Negligence and Personal Injury team. Kirsty’s clinical negligence practice includes adult and child brain injury cases, as well as failure to diagnose cancer, negligence resulting in loss of sight, gynaecological and cauda equina claims.