Stroke care guidelines arrive 1,007 days overdue

Scottish Liberal Democrat leader Alex Cole-Hamilton MSP has today revealed that it took the Scottish Government more than 1,007 days to replace guidelines for doctors on treating stroke patients.  

The Scottish Intercollegiate Guidelines Network (SIGN) guidelines on stroke care were withdrawn in June 2020 due to being over 10 years old.    

In February 2022, the then Health Secretary Humza Yousaf told Mr Cole-Hamilton that the new guidelines would be in place by February 2023. This was subsequently pushed back to April 2023.  

The guidelines were finally published on 4th April 2023, which is 1,007 days after the previous guidelines were withdrawn.

According to the Scottish Stroke Care Audit, stroke is the third most common cause of death in Scotland and the most common cause of severe physical disability among adults. It is estimated that around 15,000 people in Scotland have a stroke each year.  

In December 2022 doctors and charities urged the Scottish Government to reverse cuts in funding for thrombectomy amid fears that it would leave hundreds of stroke patients avoidably disabled.    

Mr Cole-Hamilton said: 

“This is yet another example of Humza Yousaf allowing deadlines to go sailing by. While his head is turned by the bin fire in his party, Scots are struggling to get up to date treatment across our health service.    

“Patients will be deeply concerned that it took more than 1,000 days for new stroke treatment guidelines to be put in place.

“There will always be a need to update guidance as best practice develops over time but there is no reason why doctors and their patients should be left with a significant gap between the expiry of one set of guidelines and the implementation of the next.    

“In small ways and big ones, our health service is being seriously undermined by the inability of SNP ministers to plan ahead.”