I know that good progress has been made in the treatment of stroke in recent years, with mortality rates decreasing.
The National Stroke Strategy remains valid and implementation of it continues. Therefore, at present there are no plans to renew the strategy. Action continues to be taken to ensure that further progress is made on stroke.
Work is continuing across the country to organise acute stroke care to ensure that all stroke patients, regardless of where they live or when they have their stroke, have access to high quality specialist care.
The Cardiovascular Disease (CVD) Outcomes Strategy was published in 2013 and includes many stroke specific ambitions. As part of this, a CVD expert forum, hosted by NHS England, was established to coordinate delivery of the work through the strategy. NHS England has also been working with the Strategic Clinical Networks, clinical commissioning groups, voluntary agencies and individual providers to support better commissioning and provision of stroke care.
I understand that the NHS's own plan for its future, the Five Year Forward View has set out objectives to reduce the levels of variation in stroke care and better recognise the needs of patients. The Government is backing this plan with £10 billion of additional NHS investment in real terms per annum by 2020/21.