Stroke Unit Gloucestershire

A stroke is damage to the brain caused by an interruption to it's blood supply or rupture of a blood vessel causing leakage of blood into the brain.. This website has been designed to provide information for patients and their carers about strokes, transient ischaemic attacks and Stroke Unit care. Information is provided about the tests that are done, treatments that are available, the process of rehabilitation, recovery and life after a stroke.

What is a Stroke Unit?

A stroke unit is a special ward in a hospital where stroke patients are cared for by a multidisciplinary team which specialises in stroke care. The core team consists of doctors, nurses, physiotherapists, occupational therapists, speech and language therapists, dieticians, therapy assistants, psychologists and social workers. Other health care professionals are sometimes called on for help if required.

The stroke unit at Gloucester (Ward 6B) is a combined acute and rehabilitation stroke unit which means that stroke patients can be cared for from the early stage of their strokes all the way through to a substantial part of their rehabilitation and sometimes through to discharge.

The stroke unit at Cheltenham (Woodmancote) is a similar combined acute and rehabilitation unit.

What are the Benefits of Stroke Unit Treament?

Research has shown that stroke patients treated on a stroke unit do better than those treated on normal medical wards. Patients are more likely to survive the stroke, have fewer disabilities and be able to live independently if treated on a stroke unit.

What are the Components of Stroke Unit Treatment?

The essential components of stroke unit care include monitoring of physiological variables (body temperature, blood pressure, oxygen levels, blood sugars etc.), attention to fluid balance and hydration and early mobilisation and physiotherapy. The other main features are a co-ordinated multidisciplinary and patient centred approach, the use of goal setting for patients, multidisciplinary meetings and information and education for both patients and staff. In addition, there are tried and tested methods of dealing with complications and other problems arising from strokes. Stroke related research is often undertaken on stroke units to improve care for patients. Our stroke service conducts several research studies including CLOTS3, LOTS trial of Care, A DNA resource for lacunar stroke and CADISS. For further details, click on the links - treatment and rehabilitation.