THE highly-respected consultant who oversees the Stroke Unit at the South West Acute Hospital has revealed his preferred option for the future of stroke services in the west of Northern Ireland.

Professor Jim Kelly told the public meeting on Monday night that there was a need for two hyperacute stroke units in the west, located at the SWAH and Altnagelvin Hospital in Derry, with staff at each unit “working cooperatively to improve both”.

The consultant said that he was already working with his colleagues in Altnagelvin via video-conferencing, adding that the whole of the west could have a model to deliver excellent care and “be a leader”.

Prof. Kelly spoke on several different occasions throughout the event on Monday and received a rapturous welcome each time he took the microphone.

The Western Trust’s clinical lead for stroke reassured the packed audience at the Killyhevlin Hotel that what was happening was a “genuine” pre-consultation process.

“They are hearing your voice loud and clear,” he said.

When asked by a member of the audience about fears over the sustainability of the Stroke Unit at the SWAH, Prof. Kelly replied that the local stroke unit had been the first in Northern Ireland when it opened in 1991.

He revealed that there was currently six stroke consultants in their rota, which was the Royal College of Physician’s recommendation for a hyperacute unit.

Prof. Kelly also said that the local unit had been able to attract staff into the west and was sustainable in the long term, adding: “We have the doctors and the therapists.”

Earlier in the meeting, the professor had outlined the case for changing stroke services in Northern Ireland with a short presentation to the crowd.

Stressing that re-organisation could be a benefit, Prof. Kelly said that a new clot removal treatment had been successfully introduced in the Royal in Belfast, but was only currently available from 9am to 5pm.

One of the seven proposals in the pre-consultation suggests making the clot removal procedure, known as Thrombectomy, available 24 hours a day and seven days a week to suitable patients.

While studies had been made of stroke service models in London and Manchester, Prof. Kelly asked whether what happened in those densely-populated, built-up areas could apply in more rural Northern Ireland.

When the consultant highlighted that the Stroke Unit in SWAH was the best-performing in Northern Ireland, it prompted massive cheers and applause from around the room.

However, he added: “We need Northern Ireland to be number one, not just Fermanagh and Omagh.”

When asked by an audience member if, in terms of stroke units, bigger was actually better, Prof. Kelly replied that the SWAH was outperforming the Royal, which was three times the size.

He added that only two hospitals in London outperformed the SWAH.

Meanwhile, statistics that have been released for December 2016 to March 2017, show that 76 per cent of patients were admitted to the Stroke Unit at SWAH in under four hours, compared with 51 per cent at the eight hospitals in London.