MP receives assurances that Southport Hospital stroke services will continue.

Southport MP Damien Moore recently met with the Managing Director of Southport Hospital to discuss planned upgrades to stroke services in the area.

As part of the NHS Trust’s public consultation, which closed earlier this year, the Hospital set out the current operating model of stroke services in Southport and their preferred options to future-proof the service. Feedback was provided by residents, staff, and local community groups.

There was some concern in the town that Southport Hospital would lose its stroke services, and Mr. Moore was approached by local residents who sought clarity on what the plans would include. Mr. Moore arranged to meet with the Hospital’s Managing Director, where he received assurances that a high-quality stroke service will continue to be provided in Southport.

Under the new model, which has been implemented in many other areas nationally, an acute stroke service will be maintained at Southport Hospital, and a new £4 million Comprehensive Stroke Centre will be created in Aintree for hyper-acute stroke care. This new centre will be a partnership between Southport Hospital, Liverpool University Hospitals, and the Walton Centre.

This service change will see suspected stroke patients in Southport and Ormskirk who ring an ambulance being taken directly to the new state-of-the-art centre where they will receive the hyper-acute element of their treatment in the immediate 72-hours after a stroke happens.

Following this, Southport and Ormskirk patients will move to the acute stroke ward at Southport Hospital, or go home to continue their recovery journey, ensuring that the patient’s comfort is a primary concern throughout.

Damien Moore, MP for Southport, said:

“I am grateful to Southport Hospital for clarifying to me and to Southport residents that our hospital will retain an acute stroke service, working in tandem with a £4 million Comprehensive Stroke Service for hyper-acute care also being developed at Aintree Hospital.

“This new model has been tried and tested in Cheshire and Merseyside, and has led to improved outcomes for patients. I’m extremely proud of our town’s hospital, and all those who work there. I want to ensure that Southport residents get the best care possible, and am confident that these improvements to stroke services will enable them to do so, while still being looked after in Southport Hospital.

“I will always be a strong champion for high-quality local healthcare for our town’s residents, and so alongside working with the Hospital to future-proof existing services, I am continuing to call for the return of our town’s Children’s A&E, which was removed under a Labour Government in the early 2000s.”