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Lookup NU author(s): Professor Phil WhiteORCiD
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License (CC BY-NC 4.0).
© 2025 The Author(s).Stroke is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide but there are significant differences in access to acute stroke care between geographical regions. Indeed, inequalities in acute stroke care continue to exist within the UK. Reperfusion therapies including mechanical thrombectomy (MT) are now the established standard of care for acute ischaemic stroke. However, availability of these therapies remains variable across the UK, with patients in rural areas potentially facing a poorer outcome. Reasons for this include delayed ambulance response times for both primary transfer to an acute stroke centre (ASC) and secondary transfers to comprehensive stroke centres (CSCs), MT only being available in CSCs and consequently neurointerventionists are disproportionately concentrated in the London/South of England, where a greater number of these centres are located. Furthermore, there has been a lack of investment in stroke care outside of comprehensive stroke centres, with imaging facilities in ASCs often suboptimal, and variability in consultant stroke physician staffing/presence, delaying decision making. The neurointerventionist workforce is undergoing a rapid expansion, however, further investment is required to ensure equity of access to acute stroke care across the UK and across the world.
Author(s): Cheema RSP, White PM, Ahmad N, Mullhi R, Veenith T
Publication type: Review
Publication status: Published
Journal: British Journal of Hospital Medicine
Year: 2025
Volume: 86
Issue: 7
Print publication date: 25/07/2025
Online publication date: 22/07/2025
Acceptance date: 26/03/2025
ISSN (print): 1750-8460
ISSN (electronic): 1759-7390
Publisher: MA Healthcare Ltd
URL: https://doi.org/10.12968/hmed.2025.0022
DOI: 10.12968/hmed.2025.0022
PubMed id: 40705549
Data Access Statement: The data supporting the findings of this study are available within the article.
