Lord Taylor of Holbeach (- Shadow Minister (Also Shadow Minister for Work and Pensions), Shadow Minister; Conservative)

To ask Her Majesty's Government further to their report Building a Society for all ages (pages 39-40), what is the minimum viable number of admissions for stroke damage for a hospital to have (a) a stroke physician, and (b) a dedicated stroke unit; and how many hospitals did not meet those criteria in 2008.

Baroness Thornton (Baronesses in Waiting, HM Household; Labour)

There is no evidence on which to base guidance on minimum levels of stroke admissions to warrant a stroke physician and specialist stroke unit. The goal, as articulated in the stroke strategy (a copy of which has already been placed in the Library), is to provide equitable access across communities to such facilities and at the same time to ensure maximum effectiveness and best use of resources.

The configuration of stroke services will depend on a number of factors, for example the geography of the area and the age profile of the local population. Commissioners will therefore need to decide which configuration of services best meet the needs of their locality. This could range from fully specified free-standing rural hospitals, through networked groups of units across regions to hub and spoke arrangements in dense urban areas. New technologies, such as telemedicine, can afford solutions to providing services in rural areas.