A County Galway hospital is one of 10 hospitals nationally which has joined forces to improve the care of patients who present with ischaemic stroke (where the blood supply to the brain is cut off or severely reduced ).
Portiuncula University Hospital in Ballinasloe has introduced a quality improvement programme, which was developed by the Royal College of Physicians of Ireland and the National Thrombectomy Service.
Mary Diskin, the Acute Stroke QI project lead, said the hospital was interested in participating in the project which aimed to reduce the time patients presenting with stroke symptoms at the emergency department spent awaiting treatment. She stated the initiative was also an opportunity to work with colleagues from around the country and to learn from their experiences.
"We were delighted when our participation in the project was recognised and the hospital was presented with a leadership award for our work supporting patients attending the stroke services at the hospital, and for raising awareness of the importance of the initial contact in the emergency department."
James Keane, the general manager of Portiuncula University Hospital said a stroke can be a life-changing event. "The stroke team at the hospital is focused on driving innovation and further education to the benefit of all our patients, as demonstrated by their participation in this national quality improvement programme.
"The stroke team has been recently joined by Dr Niamh Hannan, stroke consultant and I would like to welcome her to the hospital and look forward working with her and bringing her expertise to our patients."
