In 2015 SSNAP carried out the first organisational audit of post-acute stroke service commissioning and availability in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. The results for phase 2 of the audit, the post-acute stroke service provider audit, were published in December 2015.
Providers of post-acute stroke services, identified through Phase 1 of the audit, the SSNAP clinical audit or by other means, were asked to submit data on their staffing levels, waiting times and composition of their services for stroke patients. Data were submitted via a web-based tool between 9 April and 5 June 2015. The results reflect the organisation of post-acute stroke services as of 1 April 2015.
In total 604/756 (80%) of post-acute stroke service providers submitted information to the audit, creating the first national picture of post-acute service commissioning and availability. Audit results offer in-depth details into the structure and organisation of services available to stroke patient upon leaving acute inpatient care and information on the location of all identified services for the benefit of those who need to access them. In addition, new national waiting time standards have been set for Early Supported Discharge and other community teams to ensure that stroke patients are seen and start receiving treatment as soon as possible.
This audit complements the continuous SSNAP Clinical Audit which reports publically every 4 months on the process and outcomes of stroke care up to and including 6 months.
Full Results Portfolio: A very detailed file which presents post-acute stroke service provider level results by named participant benchmarked against the national average.
Summary spreadsheet: A higher level file than the above, showing key national results by named participant. Includes lists of participating and non-participating services.
Public report: Presents key national results for the audit, details on new waiting times standards, data visualisation, clinical commentary providing context and advice and case studies offering examples of good practice. It includes appendices, with lists of participating and non-participating services.
Generic report: Shows key findings, details of new waiting times standards and recommendations and all national results.