Susan Dalgety: Treating strokes faster can save lives

Strokes happen without warning. Three of my friends and family have suffered one in recent years. All three were in their late fifties or early sixties; all three were seemingly healthy before a blood clot to their brain threatened their life.

Luckily, each stroke was relatively minor and each has recovered well. But if their stroke had been more severe and it happened between eight in the evening and eight in the morning, the chances are that they would not have survived, despite significant advances in stroke treatment in recent years.

Remarkably, it seems that none of Scotland’s hospitals – not even a flagship one like the Edinburgh Royal Infirmary – offer a 24-hour thrombectomy service. This life-saving operation, which removes a blood clot from a patient’s brain, is only carried out in Scotland during office hours. Yet all the research shows that if a stroke patient gets appropriate treatment straightaway, her chances of survival greatly increase.

Strokes remain one of the biggest killers of Scots, after heart disease and cancer. Three years ago, the Scottish Government published its Stroke Improvement Plan, where it emphasised the need for equitable and timely treatment for all Scots, regardless of where they lived. Yet last November, in its Emergency Budget Review, the SNP government cut funding to the NHS thrombectomy service.

I understand the need to prioritise public spending. The man who founded the NHS, Nye Bevan, famously said that the “language of priorities is the religion of socialism”, which was his lyrical way of saying that what matters most should guide any Labour government.

Surely even the SNP government must realise that providing 24/7 treatment for one of the country’s biggest killers is a priority.

The Health Secretary Neil Gray is embroiled in yet another limo scandal. It’s just been revealed that last year he was driven to a pub and then on to an Aberdeen game against Livingston in a taxpayer-funded, chauffeur-driven car.

He has already had to apologise to parliament for his use of government cars, and now it seems he will have to say sorry again. Neil Gray’s personal priority may be his beloved football club, but for the rest of us, the health of our family and friends comes first.