The Stroke Unit at Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust (MTW) have retained their overall A-rating in the latest Sentinel Stroke National Audit Programme (SSNAP). This means the Unit have maintained their top tier performance for a full year, with patients receiving some of the highest quality stroke care in the country.

Ten categories are individually scored as part of the SSNAP, ranging from scanning and specialist assessment to physio and discharge processes. The result for each category contributes to the overall score.

Dr Graeme Wallace, Consultant Physician in Stroke Medicine and Elderly Care, and Clinical Lead for Stroke Medicine at MTW, said: “As always, this is a massive collaborative team effort. We rated higher than the national average in a number of areas, and this is testament to the team’s hard work and our ability to adapt to new pathways and protocols.”

The Stroke Unit are currently in the final phase of their refurbishment project, which is due to end in May and has involved the development of an Acute Stroke Unit (ASU) and Hyper Acute Stroke Unit (HASU) at Maidstone Hospital.

The Trust’s HASU is one of three specialist units in Kent and Medway. Accessible 24 hours a day, seven days a week, the aim of the HASUs is to consolidate the existing stroke resources across the region in order to meet national best practice standards. This means that everyone treated for stroke in Kent and Medway will get consistently high-quality care, regardless of where they live in the region, or what time of the day or night their stroke occurs.