Health: Stroke Care

Lord Rodgers of Quarry Bank Excerpts

Monday 30th January 2012 Lords Chamber

[Lord Rodgers of Quarry Bank]

My Lords, this debate is the latest in a series of short debates in which the House has explored the causes and consequences of stroke. Of today’s list, three—the noble Baroness, Lady Rendell, the noble Lord, Lord Clinton-Davis, and I—spoke at the first of them on 23 May 2006, arising from the pioneering National Audit Office report Reducing Brain Damage: Faster access to better stroke care.

The noble Lord, Lord Clinton-Davis, and I drew from our personal experience as victims—a term I do not like, but it is used. For my part, I was not physically disabled but my speaking, reading, writing and comprehension were severely affected. I needed two and a half years of speech therapy to recover my capacity, and longer for my confidence.

In her ministerial reply in 2006, the noble Baroness, Lady Royall of Blaisdon, gave a sympathetic response, saying that the hospital to which I had been taken following my stroke five years earlier used to have one of the worst performing stroke services in the country but that it had been turned round to one of the best.

I say that because stroke had been grossly neglected by the NHS until the late 1990s. Since then the perception of stroke has been transformed and I pay tribute to the Stroke Association as it has played an important campaigning role. I also pay tribute to Sir Roger Boyle for his leadership of the national stroke strategy. I am sorry that he has felt unable to continue his role during these turbulent NHS times. Among unfinished business is to ensure that GPs can recognise and take seriously the symptoms of stroke in a patient and to contribute towards the rehabilitation and care of stroke victims.

In reading the 2010 stroke sentinel audit reports, I have found no reference to GPs and only one in the Care Quality Commission report, in passing, on the role of GP consortia in the new commissioning procedures. I would be grateful for the Minister to bring up to date this aspect of the national stroke strategy—involving GPs in stroke—and explain where responsibility will lie on completion of the current Health and Social Care Bill.

I greatly welcome the initiative of the noble Baroness Lady Wheeler, in putting forward this debate, and I hope that we shall have further occasions in the House to maintain the momentum of change.