For Ishani, under Option A…
An ambulance takes Ishani to Bronglais Hospital, and she is taken directly to the CT scanner, rather than to the Emergency Department. If a stroke is confirmed, thrombolysis treatment would start while in the scanning department. Ishani would then be moved to the Emergency Department before she is transferred.
If Ishani hasn’t had a stroke, she will go to the Emergency Department at Bronglais Hospital for further tests. If Ishani had a more serious stroke (with a large blood vessel occlusion, which is a type of stroke where blood flow to a main artery in the brain is interrupted) she would be taken by ambulance from Bronglais directly to the thrombectomy centre at Bristol or Cardiff. Thrombectomy can be used to treat these types of stroke. This care is provided regionally for Wales and south and western regions of England at Bristol and Cardiff.
Once the Bristol or Cardiff thrombectomy team assess Ishani is fit to be discharged from their care she will be transferred to the Stroke Unit at Prince Philip, Withybush or directly home, dependent on her recovery post thrombectomy.
If thrombectomy is not the right treatment for Ishani, then she will be transferred to the 12/7 Stroke Unit at Prince Philip or Withybush hospitals (12 hours a day, seven days a week) for acute stroke treatment.
Following completion of stroke treatment at Prince Philip or Withybush, and once medically stable, Ishani’s onward stroke care will be arranged with her local Health Board (Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board).
If you would like to understand how your stroke care may be different, depending on where you access the initial care, please contact Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board for information and guidance.