RT Journal Article SR Electronic T1 The impact of acute stroke service centralisation: a time series evaluation JF Future Healthcare Journal JO Future Healthc J FD Royal College of Physicians SP 181 OP 187 DO 10.7861/futurehosp.5-3-181 VO 5 IS 3 A1 Mat Elameer A1 Chris Price A1 Darren Flynn A1 Helen Rodgers YR 2018 UL http://www.rcpjournals.org/content/5/3/181.abstract AB We evaluated the impact of the centralisation of three acute stroke units into a single hyperacute stroke unit within a large urban and rural NHS trust in North East England in June 2015. We performed retrospective interrupted time series analyses of 4,305 stroke patients admitted between 1 April 2013 and 31 December 2017 utilising data recorded for the Sentinel Stroke National Audit Programme. Centralisation was ­associated with reductions in total length of inpatient stay (–4.9 days [95% CI: –8.1 to –1.7]). Time from admission to thrombolysis shortened by 26.0 minutes (95% CI: –40.0 to –12.1), and time from admission to brain imaging for thrombolysed patients improved by 16.2 minutes (95% CI: –22.0 to –10.4). Time from stroke onset to hospital admission, mortality and dependency (as measured by median modified Rankin Scale) were unaffected by centralisation. This study provides further evidence to support the centralisation of acute stroke services in England.