East Midlands Ambulance Service (EMAS) have been running a pilot in Leicestershire for the past 12 months, whereby ambulance clinicians have been able to hold a video triage call with stroke consultants or Stroke Nurse specialists at Leicester Royal Infirmary stroke unit from the patient’s home. This has seen significant benefits to 25% of patients who were able to be safely left at home with alternative arrangements following this assessment.

On Monday 27th January, EMAS Clinical Governance team signed off on the rollout of this process across the rest of the East Midlands. Plans are now being drawn up between EMAS, United Lincolnshire Teaching Hospitals and Northampton General Hospital as the next sites to begin this process. As well as reducing unnecessary conveyances to ED, evidence from other pilot schemes of this nature have seen significant reduction in door-to-scan times for suspected stroke patients, improving access to treatment and patient outcome. Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire hospitals will be included in the second phase of the roll out later this year.