A major overhaul of stroke care across Somerset is expected to go live within days, changing where some patients are taken after calling 999 with a suspected stroke.

NHS papers show the new countywide system is expected to become fully operational in the first week of September, following the completion of building and ward work at Musgrove Park Hospital in Taunton.

For patients and their families, the most noticeable change will be at the start of an emergency.

Under the new system, someone suspected of having a stroke will be taken to their nearest specialist Hyper Acute Stroke Unit for the first stage of treatment. In Somerset, that specialist unit will be at Musgrove Park Hospital, while Dorset County Hospital in Dorchester will also receive some Somerset patients where it is the closest unit.

That means some people could initially be taken to a hospital further from home than they would under the current arrangements.

Hyper-acute care covers the first and most specialist stage of stroke treatment, generally the first 72 hours. Patients who still need hospital care after that can then be transferred to an Acute Stroke Unit at Musgrove Park or Yeovil District Hospital, including Yeovil if that is closer to home.

A current recruitment advert from Dorset County Hospital also states that from September, Somerset patients will be admitted there for the first 72 hours of a stroke before returning to Somerset to continue their recovery pathway.

The change has been more than three years in the making.

NHS Somerset launched a 12-week public consultation in January 2023 after saying the existing hospital-based stroke service was not set up in the best way to provide consistent specialist care around the clock.

At that point, both Musgrove Park and Yeovil District Hospital operated hyper-acute stroke units. NHS Somerset said neither hospital had enough specialist staff to provide 24-hour consultant cover seven days a week, against a backdrop of a national shortage of stroke specialists.

More than 1,300 people responded through the online consultation alone, with further feedback gathered through events and other engagement.

The final model was approved by NHS Somerset in January 2024.

It established a single Hyper Acute Stroke Unit at Musgrove Park, retained Acute Stroke Units at both Musgrove and Yeovil, and allowed patients to be taken to a specialist unit outside Somerset if that was geographically closer.

The decision was not without concern.

During the consultation process, Somerset Council's Adults and Health Scrutiny Committee said it had particular concerns about the effect of the proposals on people living in rural areas and asked for the decision to be delayed while other options were considered.

The NHS argued that bringing hyper-acute stroke expertise together would allow it to provide specialist emergency treatment consistently 24 hours a day and reduce variation depending on where and when someone suffered a stroke.

Implementation has also taken longer than initially expected.

NHS Somerset said in 2024 that it expected the changes to take around 18 months to put in place, with investment required at Musgrove Park, Dorset County Hospital and Yeovil District Hospital.

Later programme papers showed that recruitment difficulties, including problems securing enough stroke consultants at Musgrove, affected an earlier timetable.

The latest NHS papers say the full system is now expected to be in place during the first week of September.

The changes also cover people who suffer a Transient Ischaemic Attack, commonly known as a mini-stroke. A seven-day TIA service is planned at Musgrove Park, while Yeovil will provide the service five days a week.

For anyone in Wells, Shepton Mallet, Glastonbury, Street or the surrounding villages, there is nothing different they need to do if they suspect a stroke.

The NHS advice remains to call 999 immediately. The main warning signs can be remembered using FAST: facial weakness, arm weakness, speech problems and time to call 999. Even if the symptoms disappear, urgent medical help is still needed.

Ambulance and hospital teams will decide which specialist stroke unit a patient should be taken to under the new pathway.

An exact launch date has not been published in the NHS documents seen by Nub News, but full implementation is expected in the first week of September.

More local stories

• Somerset fridge recycling limit enters final week
• Shepton gears up for Truckfest South West
• Street traders raise concerns over B3151 closure