Completed petition Make thrombectomy available 24-7 for Welsh patients

We call upon the National Assembly for Wales to urge the Welsh government to end the inequality in access to life-saving stroke thrombectomy treatment. 

Thrombectomy is a treatment used for ischaemic stroke where the blood clot is removed with a special device inserted through a catheter. There is a wealth of evidence supporting its benefits in reducing long term disability (morbidity), and saving lives (reducing mortality) In April 2017, NHS England agreed to fund thrombectomy on the NHS, it will take many years before all eligible patients can receive it. It is not currently available routinely in Wales. Agreements with NHS England for Welsh patients to access their services are variable and tenuous.

Patients such as Colin Rogers (www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/Colin-rogers-campaign) are literally dying. He was 55 when he died. He was denied treatment because it was a Sunday and there was no agreement to allow him to be sent to England. Whilst there was no guarantee he would have been saved, it is estimated that over 500 people in Wales could be helped by this treatment. We do not want people who could be saved to die like Colin, or be left profoundly disabled.

We call upon the Welsh government to end the postcode lottery and act to save the lives of the Welsh people.