Stroke: Care and costs

Stroke: Care and costs Thanks to improving prevention and treatment, fewer people are dying from stroke. But those who survive it need continuing care, especially in their later years. How much does this cost the UK economy? Healthcare Prescriptions Drug treatment is vital both in reducing the chances for high-risk patients of having a stroke, and in saving the lives of patients who have had one. Prescriptions of drugs that reduce cholesterol and hypertension have increased exponentially since the gos, playing a major role in reducing the number of strokes, and consequently of deaths. This comes at a cost of COMBINED PRESCRIPTIONS MOST RELEVANT IN THE PREVENTION AND TREATMENT OF STROKE (anti-arrhythmic, antihypertensive, anticoagulants and antiplatelet, England) 1981 2008 6 million hundreds of millions for 105 million the economy every year. surgeries related to stroke are performed every year in NHS hospitals in England More 21 000 than The number of inpatient cases due to stroke per year in NHS hospitals in England is above 176 000 Hospital treatments Stroke is one of the major causes of hospitalisation, responsible for more than 2.3 million overnight stays in England's hospitals. At 5% of total bed occupancy, this represents a large burden on the NHS. 6000 More NHS beds 5% Stroke than in England's hospitals are occupied by stroke patients every night After discharge DO 41% Yes, enough YOU FEEL YOU RECEIVE ENOUGH SUPPORT FROM NHS SERVICES 31% Some, not enough 4% Don't know 24% None at all A third of patients who have a stroke die, a third recover completely, anda third are left with disabilities. It is crucial that patients receive adequate support for their recovery from NHS services (GPs, physiotherapists, occupational therapists, speech therapists, community nurses, etc.). A 2011 UK-wide survey of stroke patients showed there is still a lot of room for improvement. CAUSES OF OVERNIGHT STAYS IN ENGLAND'S NHS HOSPITALS (2010-11) Cost breakdown More than just healthcare When thinking about the economic costs of stroke, we tend to focus on the healthcare costs borne by the NHS (medication, inpatient care, surgeries etc.). However, the costs of informal care (provided by e.g. family members of people who have had a stroke) and the productivity losses caused by stroke-related death and incapacity are nearly three-quarters the size of the direct NHS costs. These burdens illustrate the economic importance of ensuring that the available resources are efficiently devoted to preventing and treating stroke. The 2006/07 UK numbers below include the costs of transient ischaemic attack, a 'mini-stroke' that usually only lasts a few minutes and leaves no permanent damage, but raises the risk of having a proper stroke in the future. HEALTH AND SOCIAL CARE COSTS - E2.9 BILLION NON-HEALTH CARE COSTS - E2.1 BILLION Inpatient care 61.2 billion Residential care 61 billion Productivity Informal care losses due to 611 billion morbidity E532 million Productivity losses due to Medications 6271 million Outpatient care Primary 6251 million mortality 6462 million care 6144 million Accident and Day cases E13 million emergency care E26 million Note: Productivity losses due to mortality are for stroke only, as by definition there is no mortality from transient ischaemic attack. Sources: British Heart Foundation; Hospital Episode Statistics; Stroke Association Research and design: Paulo Estriga Writing: Sharlin Ahmed, Paulo Estriga Thanks to: Clare Walton and Nikki Hill (Stroke Association); Peter Scarborough (British Heart Foundation Health Promotion Research Group) wellcometrust 2% Coronary heart disease 5% Other cardiovas cu lar diseases 7% All cancers 9% Respirat ory diseases 7% Digestive system diseases - 10% Injuries and poisoning 54% All other causes