Focus on regional centres of excellence puts pressure on services in smaller trusts

摘要

DIRECTOR OF nursing Helen Ryan is fighting to keep stroke services at her workplace, Yeovil District Hospital NHS Foundation Trust. At the same time, Somerset Clinical Commissioning Group is considering setting up a single centre of excellence for patients with stroke in Taunton, about 30 miles away. Ms Ryan says: 'If Yeovil loses its stroke services, it would be a devastating blow to our local community. We serve an elderly population in a rural area and, if services move to Taunton, it would mean a drive of one and a half hours for some patients. A lot of them don't even drive.'