Wishart raises stroke treatment concerns with Health Secretary

Scottish Liberal Democrat and Shetland MSP, Beatrice Wishart has raised stroke treatment concerns highlighting the postcode lottery of thrombectomy procedures across Scotland. Thrombectomies are a procedure using a tube with a tiny, wire cage which is guided up through the body to the brain where a blood clot can be pulled out.

Only three stroke hubs carry out the procedure with people in the north of Scotland taken to Dundee, but only when the department operates, as these hubs are not open 24 hours a day. In 2023 only one in seven people in Scotland eligible for thrombectomy got one.

During Health and Social Care questions in the Scottish Chamber Ms Wishart asked:

“For rural and Island areas travel to stroke hubs for thrombectomies causes unnecessary delay and can make the difference to the outcome between a good recovery or a not so good recovery.

“For my constituents it means travel from Shetland to Dundee.

“When will the Scottish Government address the health inequalities between Scotland’s health boards and ensure swift accessibility to thrombectomies across the country?”

In his response the Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care, Neil Gray, said he recognised the difficulties to access for healthcare and distance to travel for island and rural communities. 

After the exchange Ms Wishart said:

“More needs to be done to ensure that there is no postcode lottery for stroke treatment. 

“Thrombectomies are used across the World and despite being at war, Ukraine performs more thrombectomies per year than Scotland.

“The inequality of access for island and rural areas is of great concern when we know swift action during stroke treatment is critical.

“I welcome the Cabinet Secretary’s comments and I hope more investment for stroke treatment can be found. As the Stroke Association highlights, thrombectomy is 100% cost-effective and saves Scotland’s NHS £47,000 per patient.”

You can watch Ms Wishart’s question here.