ACUTE stroke services should be centralised at a Worcester hospital so more lives can be saved say experts.

A team of GPs, patient champions and external advisers believe an acute stroke service should be based at Worcestershire Royal Hospital, not the Alexandra Hospital in Redditch.

No final decision has yet been taken but the recommendation means the people of Worcester can breathe a collective sigh of relief after concerns were raised last April that acute stroke beds could close at Worcester with services centralised at Redditch.

Time is of the essence in treating a stroke and the fear was that a Redditch-based service would mean patients from Worcester, Malvern and Hereford would have further to travel after an incident, reducing their chance of survival and recovery.

Improving the Worcester service could save up to 44 lives a year and reduce the number of people who suffer long-term disability among the 900 stroke patients treated each year in Worcester-shire.

Although acute stroke services have improved in 2011/12, the Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust which manages both hospitals has struggled to hit a key national target.

At least 80 per cent of patients are supposed to spend 90 per cent of their time on an acute stroke unit to enjoy the best chance of survival and of avoiding long term disability.

The trust managed this for 73 per cent of patients in February this year, far better than the 58 per cent they managed in February last year, but still below target.

Dr Charles Ashton, medical director at Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust, said: “The aim is to secure the highest quality and safest services for stroke patients in the future that can equal, if not exceed, those at the best performing hospitals in the country.”

The panel said the centralisation should take place “as soon as possible” but no timescale has yet been made public.

Simon Hairsnape, chief operating officer for Wyre Forest Clinical Commissioning Group and Redditch and Bromsgrove Clinical Commissioning Group, who oversaw the review said: “As part of this proposal acute stroke services would no longer be provided by the Alexandra Hospital in Redditch.

“While I understand this may be a cause of concern, we do have a responsibility as a commissioner of healthcare to ensure that the services provided are of the highest quality and demonstrate the greatest clinical effectiveness.”

The recommendation will be discussed in more detail by the county watchdog called the Worcestershire health overview and scrutiny committee (HOSC) at County Hall, Worcester, on Tuesday, May 22.

Further discussions will then follow involving NHS Worcestershire.

Brendan Young, who first revealed concerns the stroke service could close at Worcester when an acute trust shadow governor, welcomed the recommendation.

Mr Young, who had input into the review as a public and patient representative, said he was delighted the review panel had prioritised the needs of stroke patients.

He said: “This will save lives, without a doubt and reduce potential disabilities in stroke patients in Worcestershire.”

NHS leaders were not able to recruit a consultant stroke specialist which means they have only one stroke consultant at Worcestershire Royal Hospital.

The acute trust secured one locum stroke consultant, one specialist registrar and one locum consultant at the Alexandra Hospital.

At the moment it has not been possible to have county-wide ward rounds by a senior member of the stroke team.

A centralised service would make it easier to introduce a 24-hour, seven-day-a-week service at a single site.