Known as a thrombectomy, the surgical intervention can not only prevent death from some types of stroke, but also preserve more of a person’s mobility if they receive it within a short time of being taken ill. It is currently carried out at the Royal Preston Hospital seven days a week - for patients from right across Lancashire and South Cumbria - but only between 8am and 6pm. Advertisement Advertisement Sign up to our daily newsletter Did you know with an ad-lite subscription to Lancaster Guardian, you get 70% fewer ads while viewing the news that matters to you.
However, there is a question mark over an aim to have the service running 24 hours a day from later this year after it emerged that the necessary specialist staff were yet to be found. Dr. David Levy, medical director of the Lancashire and South Cumbria Integrated Care Board (ICB), told a meeting of the organisation last week that the 24/7 operation had been “commissioned”, but said the “key issue” was that Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (LTH) - which runs the Royal Preston - was currently “unable to recruit the workforce required to deliver it”.
The trust says it remains "committed" to providing the service. It comes just days after a coroner ruled that the lack of access to a thrombectomy “contributed” to the death of a care home resident from Chorley. Edna Moss died in February 2023 after a stroke which was treated with thrombolysis, which dissolves blood clots.
However, the .
