Have your say on Stroke Services in Coventry and Warwickshire

Rugby Liberal Democrats are encouraging local residents to have their say on proposals that could see all six stroke beds at St Cross Hospital in Rugby be axed under the first stage of the Coventry and Warwickshire Sustainability and Transformation Plan (STP), which aims to slash £267million in NHS spending over the next five years.

Rugby Observer recently reported that all patients from Rugby and across Warwickshire will instead be taken to University Hospital Coventry and Warwickshire (UHCW), which is adding an extra six 'hyper-acute' care beds for stroke victims - taking the total up to 12. There will also be 31 specialist stroke beds at the hospital - just one more than previously.

The plans have been devised by local Clinical Commissioning Groups (CCGs) from across Coventry and Warwickshire.

The CCGs say changes have to be made as the service differed so much across the county and they could not 'guarantee every patient is receiving the best possible care'.

We urge patients and residents to have their say before the 16 July 2017 deadline by completing the online questionnaire at www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/NHSstrokeservices or calling 0121 611 0231.