Denis Naughten (Longford-Roscommon, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context

Question 188: To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Health and Children her plans for the formulation of a national stroke care policy; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [5918/06]

Seán Power (Kildare South, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context

In 2005, I met with the Irish Heart Foundation to discuss inter alia services for patients with stroke. Following that meeting, the foundation, with the support of a grant of €70,000 from my Department, convened a national stroke review group, NSRG. The NSRG has representatives from the HSE and from a wide range of relevant professional and voluntary organisations — community health nurses, speech therapists, volunteer scheme and so forth. The group developed a comprehensive research proposal over a period of nine months based on methods used for an audit of hospital and community services in the UK.

The planned research which is due to start on 1 March 2006 is for a national audit of stroke services, to include: an audit of hospital-based stroke services — organisational aspects of care in acute hospitals, especially organised stroke care; and a clinical audit of stroke care, involving review of clinical case notes for a selected sample of patients; an audit of community-based stroke services, to include surveys of GPs, allied health professionals, patients and carers, and nursing homes.

These audits will provide excellent baseline information on which to benchmark progress in developing stroke services and I understand the entire study is scheduled to take 18 months to complete. The NSRG will monitor progress of the research and use the findings to make recommendations on the development of stroke services. My Department and the Health Service Executive will consider policy implications in the light of this national service audit.