Lives of stairlift users 'could be saved' with European systems
^{Stairlift News}

Posted by Paul Craven

Users of Acorn stairlifts may be interested to know that Andrew Lansley, secretary of state for health, today announced that as many as 9,000 stroke victims could have their lives saved each year if UK increased its level of care to the same as the European countries with the best systems, according to the Daily Mail.

Abolishing policies by which healthcare providers are measured by their waiting times, the focus will be on the outcome of treatment, the politician said.

"We will get rid of the top-down process of targets which get in the way of improving patient care," he commented.

"Only by focusing on results for patients will survival rates improve to the level that they should be."

Currently, around 20,000 lives are lost per year due to cancer and stroke, Mr Lansley stated.

Another initiative proposed that may help those at danger of stroke is a 24-hour hotline, which has been called for in Scotland after a trial in the Lothian region where the system saw individuals access a specialist within three days rather than the 13 that was previously the norm, according to the Scotsman.

^2010-07-12

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