THE NHS is failing stroke patients due to pressures on the health service and “deep inequalities in care,” with some facing a postcode lottery for life-saving treatment, according to a new report.

The Stroke Association is calling for urgent government action to address the delays, including a wider rollout of video technology, PVT, that allows specialists to diagnose patients before they arrive at a hospital.

The report highlights that long ambulance waits, handover delays and limited access to imaging for diagnostic testing are preventing patients from receiving vital, time-sensitive treatment.

In 2023-24, just 47 per cent of stroke patients were admitted directly to a specialist unit within four hours of arrival at a hospital, down from 58 per cent a decade earlier.

The report warns that a significant wait for treatment “dramatically increases the risk of long-term poor health and disabilities.”

The association also says that although an estimated 20 per cent of stroke patients could benefit from thrombolysis, a drug that dissolves clots and restores blood supply to the brain, only 11.6 per cent received it last year.

Publication of the report follows the government saying that its 10-Year Health Plan would include three major shifts, including a focus on sickness prevention and greater use of technology.

According to the Stroke Association, about 90 per cent of strokes are preventable.

Chief executive Juliet Bouverie said the government plan presented a “once-in-a-generation opportunity” to improve stroke care and reduce inequalities, calling for a fully funded prevention plan that prioritises early detection of stroke risk factors, including high blood pressure.