Phil Willis MP questions Prime Minister on cuts in local stroke services.

Phil Willis MP and Claire Kelley, Liberal Democrat PPC for Harrogate & Knaresborough, have been shocked to learn that North Yorkshire County Council is to cut the funding for the Stroke Association's Family and Carer Support Service in Harrogate and Craven. At the same time, the County Council is commissioning similar services in the other parts of North Yorkshire.

Phil Willis asked the Prime Minister today:

‘On average one person in the UK will suffer from a stroke every five minutes with potentially devastating effect on the lives of individuals and their families.

In Harrogate the Stroke Association Family and Carer Support Service led by Jenny Jones, has done remarkable work supporting victims in their own homes.

Yet the Conservative controlled North Yorkshire County Council has slashed the entire £35,000 annual budget preferring instead to spend £442,000 on a self congratulatory newspaper.

Will the PM tell the House what he is doing to ensure the National Stroke Strategy is implemented in North Yorkshire and will he urge North Yorkshire County Council to think again about withdrawing a vital stroke service to my constituents?’

The Prime Minister avoided responding directly to the question; instead concentrating on the proposed health checks that would be introduced by the Labour Government should they win the next election.

Claire Kelley commented:

"I simply cannot understand why the County Council would make such a short-sighted decision. The service is a vital lifeline to patients, families and carers and is fully supported by health professionals working in this field.

Stroke is the biggest cause of major disability in the country. More than 200 new patients are discharged from Harrogate Hospital each year. If this cut is implemented they and their families will no longer be able to call on the superb service provided by Jenny Jones and her team."

Nikki Hill, Deputy Director of Communications at the Stroke Association said:

“This service has made an immense difference to the lives of stroke survivors, their carers and families in Harrogate in these last two years. They tell us that the emotional and practical support, advice and home visits help to alleviate the devastating impact that stroke can have on survivors and their families. For many it has been a life line.

“200 new stroke survivors were discharged from Harrogate Hospital last year, it is vital that long-term support for them and the many others that will suffer a stroke in the future is maintained”.

Claire Kelley has contacted North Yorkshire's Director of Adult Services to protest and has launched a campaign to have the funding reinstated. You can add your support by signing the online petition at http://campaigns.libdems.org.uk/Strokesupport or by contacting Claire at 75 Station Parade, Harrogate, HG1 1ST, telephone 01423 542112.

Ends.

Phil Willis MP - Press Release

Contact: Michael Newby – 01423 528888

Date: 10th February 2010

Embargo: immediate

Notes to Editors:

North Yorkshire County Council has stated that it will not renew funding for the Stroke Association’s Family and Carer Support Service when the contract runs out in March. The decision was made despite the county council commissioning similar services in the other parts of North Yorkshire, based upon the model of the work pioneered in Harrogate.

Set up in 2008, the Family and Carer Support Service was also the first service of its kind in North Yorkshire. As well as a support group, the service includes home visits to stroke victims and their families, where information, support and advice is offered. It is these home visits that will not continue when the funding ends in March

Harrogate has no other specialist community team supporting stroke patients – the Family and Carer Service is the only stroke specific provision in this community. Continuing the service would cost about £35,000 per annum.

The North Yorkshire Times costs approximately £442,000 per annum; it is one of the most expensive local authority newspapers in the country.

The National Stroke Strategy can be found at: http://www.dh.gov.uk/en/Publicationsandstatistics/Publications/Publicati.... It states that ‘a range of services needs to be locally available to support the individual long-term needs of people who have had a stroke and their carers’, and that ‘National support will be available to drive improvements in community provision for people with stroke’.

National Stroke Association figures show more than 200 new stroke patients were discharged from Harrogate Hospital last year.

There are 110,000 stroke victims per year in England (NAO, 2010) and 20,000 mini-stroke victims

The estimated incidence (new cases) of stroke in North Yorkshire is 1920 per year

There are estimated to be 16037 people who have suffered from strokes in North Yorkshire