The accolade is personally selected each year by Chair of the Board, Suzy Brain England OBE, recognising an individual or team that has made an exceptional contribution to patient care and the Trust over the past 12 months.
This year, the Stroke Team stood out for an extraordinary portfolio of achievements, with their innovation, leadership and unwavering dedication transforming local stroke care and influencing national best practice.
Suzy Brain England OBE said: “The Stroke Team has shown remarkable innovation, resilience and commitment to improvement. Their work has enhanced outcomes for some of our most vulnerable patients and positioned DBTH as a leader in stroke care both regionally and nationally. It was my pleasure to recognise their achievements with the Chair’s Award.”
Over the past year, the team have implemented a number of changes to improve patient care and set a new, best-practice example for stroke care delivery.
The DBTH team were amongst the first in our region to use a newer, faster medicine to break down blood clots in some types of stroke. This switch cut the treatment time from around an hour to just a few seconds.
Further collaboration with local partners has meant that the Trust’s thrombectomy service – used to physically remove clots in certain types of stroke – is now available seven days a week, helping to ensure more patients can access urgent, specialist treatment when they need it most.
A pioneering video triage system has also been launched alongside paramedics to identify stroke patients earlier and ensure that they receive the treatment they need immediately on arrival at the hospital – giving them the best possible chance at recovery.
In addition, changes have been made to the ward structure at Doncaster Royal Infirmary which ensures seamless and consistent specialist neurotherapy care throughout a stroke patient’s journey.
DBTH’s CT scanner is now capable of performing CT perfusion scans, a form of advanced brain imaging that helps identify potentially salvageable brain tissue. This new functionality extends the treatment time window for clot-buster or mechanical thrombectomy beyond the usual 4.5 hours in selected cases.
The regional stroke centre in Sheffield provides mechanical thrombectomy service for patients whose stroke is caused by blockage of large blood vessels. DBTH’s CT scanner can perform fast angiography, it’s interpretation facilitated by artificial intelligence software RAPID, leading to one of the fastest door in, door out times in the country.
It is not only the initial care provided to stroke patients that has improved at DBTH. Recently, the first NHS robotic rehabilitation suite has opened at Mexborough Montagu Hospital which provides state-of-the-art rehabilitation treatments to help stroke survivors regain independence and improve recovery.
Dr. Dinesh Chadha, Stroke Consultant at Doncaster and Bassetlaw Teaching Hospitals, said: “We are incredibly honoured to receive the Chair’s Award. Every member of the team has gone above and beyond to improve stroke care for our patients. This recognition reflects the passion, creativity and hard work of colleagues across our service.”
The stroke team presented their innovations at a regional stroke conference for over 100 professionals in the field and their work continues to shape national stroke strategy, demonstrating what is possible even within tight financial constraints.
The team is also working on new ideas and research. They are one of only four teams in England testing almost 500 people to see who might not respond well to a commonly used blood-thinning medicine called Clopidogrel, due to a specific gene.
The DBTH Star Awards was delivered in association with ESC Global, a Doncaster-based water treatment company.