North West thrombectomy visit by NHS England

On Friday 11th April, a delegation from NHS England (NHSE) returned to the North West to review progress in providing 24/7 mechanical thrombectomy to all residents. The surgical procedure removes large blood clots and has been proven to reduce disability and save lives after a stroke.

Professor Steve Powis, the outgoing NHSE Medical Director was accompanied by Dr David Hargroves, National Clinical Director for Stroke and others from the national stroke programme team. Juliet Bouverie, CEO of the Stroke Association also made the trip to the Royal Preston Hospital who hosted the visit.

The meeting was an opportunity for each of the three North West thrombectomy centres (Walton Centre, Royal Preston and Salford Royal Hospitals) to update on progress since their recent NHSE site visits.

Greater Manchester, along with Cheshire & Mersey, have offered the 24/7 service since 2022, but there has been significant operational challenges in getting Lancashire & South Cumbria to the same point. The North West networks and their teams already meet regularly to share best practice, and will continue to discuss how to support Preston in reaching the same hours of operation.