Southampton General Hospital has a 28-bed stroke rehab ward and a nine-bed hyper acute stroke unit (HASU) situated in the Wessex neurological centre, where patients are cared for.
The hyper-acute stroke team provide a rapid assessment service 24 hours a day, seven days a week to ensure all stroke patients are assessed and managed by our specialist team, as soon as possible after admission. This often involves being aware of potential stroke patients before they arrive by communicating directly with paramedic crews.
Our stroke service strives to achieve high quality patient care. We provide a comprehensive service which aims to ensure that every stroke patient receives the best care throughout their journey from admission to follow up after discharge. This will incorporate expert advice on stroke prevention, acute assessment and management including consideration for clot busting drugs (stroke thrombolysis) and stroke rehabilitation.
We can provide access to more interventional treatments if required, such as intra-arterial thrombolysis (clot retrieval) and neurosurgical procedures, for example hemicraniectomy. This ensures our patients have access to the best services possible.
Rehabilitation will start as soon as the stroke team feel that it is safe to begin. Rehabilitation begins in the acute stroke unit until patients are medically stable, then options will be discussed on where to continue care. This could mean: