Stepping Hill Hospital’s stroke unit has received the top ‘A’ rating again in the latest national stroke audit.

This Sentinel Stroke National Audit Programme (SSNAP) from the Royal College of Physicians gives ‘A’ ratings to services rated as ‘world class’ in their quality of care. It has now given Stepping Hill Hospital’s services the highest possible rating twice over the last twelve months.   

The hospital is one of only three specialist stroke centres in Greater Manchester, alongside Salford Royal and Bury Hospital. All three units have now achieved an ‘A’ rating, putting the region’s performance well above the national average.

In October 2016, Stroke Association findings showed that Stepping Hill had the fourth best performing stroke unit in the country for patients receiving a brain scan within an hour (75.2% of patients), and for patients accessing a stroke unit within four hours (83.3% of patients.) 

Adele Trenholme-Rolfe, 46, from Brinnington, Stockport had a stroke in mid-January this year. After being taken to Stepping Hill Hospital’s A&E for emergency treatment she was then transferred to the hyper-acute stroke unit,  and since then went to the stroke rehabilitation unit, where has been taking part in activity rehabilitation therapy since then. Adele is progressing well and will soon be able to go home to husband Mark.

Adele said, “Having a stroke is scary, but the staff on the stroke unit have been fantastically supportive. They work closely with your family too, so that Mark will be able to support me once I’m back at home as well.  The rehab has taken week and its been hard, but things like the treadmill in the physio gym is helping me to get back on my feet ready for the outside world. The staff have given me my life back and I can’t thank them enough.”