Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what objectives the National Stroke Strategy has remaining before its expiry in 2017.

No formal assessment has been made of the potential effect of the expiry of the National Stroke Strategy in 2017 on stroke patient outcomes. However the quality of stroke care is continually monitored by the Sentinel Stroke National Audit Programme.

The National Stroke Strategy remains valid and implementation of it continues. Action is being taken to ensure the progress made on stroke continues. This includes;

- ongoing work in virtually all parts of the country to organise acute stroke care to ensure that all stroke patients, regardless of where they live or what time of the day or week they have their stroke, have access to high quality specialist care;

- publication of the Cardiovascular Disease (CVD) Outcomes Strategy in 2013, which includes many stroke specific strategic ambitions;

- a CVD collaborative group is being established to bring together relevant stakeholders in the field of CVD and provide a forum where relevant work being undertaken in this area and potential new initiatives can be discussed and responsibilities for action determined;

- NHS England’s National Clinical Director for Stroke is working with Clinical Networks, Urgent and Emergency Care Networks, Clinical Commissioning Groups (CCGs) and Sustainability and Transformation Plan footprints on how stroke care is best delivered to local communities;

- services for the management of transient ischaemic attack (TIA) are changing in many areas to meet the new standard that all TIA patients should be seen and assessed within 24 hours, not just high risk patients; and

- CCGs are being encouraged to increase the geographical coverage of early supported discharge services.

Prevention of stroke and CVDs is also a priority for NHS England, particularly attempting to reduce the very high prevalence of CVD in patients with mental health illness.