Warning Covid pressures may lead to wave of untreated strokes this winter

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Public fears about rising Covid-19 case rates and hospitalisations could lead an increase in the number of untreated strokes this winter, a charity has warned.
The Stroke Association said it was concerned that fear about spiralling Covid-19 rates and the spread of the omicron variant could lead to people delaying seeking medical treatment when they urgently need it.
During the first wave of the pandemic, the association’s Stroke recoveries at risk report found that there was a significant decrease in admissions to stroke wards, largely fuelled by people being worried about catching Covid-19 while in hospital or because of not wanting to be a ‘burden’ on an under-pressure NHS.
Nearly a third (32%) of people who survived a stroke between March and June 2020 said they had delayed seeking medical attention because of Covid-19.
The charity is concerned a similar situation may arise over the coming weeks, compounded by the added impact of reported ambulance delays and lack of access to primary care services.
The association has also pointed to data suggesting more people are now living with unmanaged hypertension (or high blood pressure) and other major stroke risk factors because of fewer regular in-person appointments where cardiovascular conditions (like high blood pressure) are spotted.

A further issue is the impact of rising NHS staff absence affecting services. For example, on Saturday (1 January), the United Lincolnshire Hospitals NHS Trust said it was “unable to maintain safe staffing levels”, which had resul