New stroke rehab unit planned for Blackpool Victoria Hospital

Proposals for a new stroke unit at Blackpool Victoria Hospital have taken a step forward after plans were submitted to the council.
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Architects have drawn up a scheme which would see a new single storey building constructed in the south west of the hospital site, close to the existing stroke ward.

The proposed Stroke Ward Ambulatory Care Unit is part of wider proposals to improve the overall service offered to stroke patients on the Fylde coast.

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It will be an outpatient facility, supported by the adjacent inpatient stroke ward providing patient consultation, therapy spaces and supporting clinical and administration rooms for staff.

A new stroke unit is planned at Blackpool Victoria HospitalA new stroke unit is planned at Blackpool Victoria Hospital
A new stroke unit is planned at Blackpool Victoria Hospital

The site earmarked for the development is currently an empty internal courtyard.

Facilities which will help stroke patients undergoing rehabilitation will include a waiting area and toilet, consultation and examination room, an occupational therapy room and a staff training room.

In April it was revealed Blackpool is to get an enhanced service for people who have suffered a stroke offering round-the-clock care, which medics say will improve their chances of recovery.

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Blackpool Victoria Hospital is one of three locations in Lancashire, with the others being in Preston and Blackburn, chosen to receive the new service which will be fully in place by March 2024.

Stroke patients will receive 24-hour enhanced care for the first 72 hours of treatment with the service available seven days a week.

Currently no hospitals in Lancashire or South Cumbria offer the enhanced service, which is a national expectation. The proposed ambulatory stroke unit is part of the overall plans.

According to a report to the council's adult social care and health scrutiny committee, there were 2,575 patient admissions across Lancashire and South Cumbria for acute stroke care and 442 deaths due to stroke in 2020/21.