New stroke treatment for West Sussex patients

STROKE patients will soon have round-the-clock access to special clot-busting drugs.​

From September 1 a new 24/7 service will operate from Worthing Hospital which health chiefs say will double the number of people receiving thrombolysis treatment in the southern half of the county, compared with the current in-hours service which operates at both Worthing and St Richard’s hospitals.

Thrombolysis needs to be completed within four hours of a stroke.

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The new service will mean fewer people needing to be taken to hospitals outside the county.

Around half of stroke cases happen out of hours and the service will cost £300,000 a year.

The new service was agreed by Western Sussex Hospitals NHS Trust, the primary care trust NHS West Sussex and the emerging clinical commissioning group – the Coastal West Sussex Federation.