A STROKE survivor has appealed to hospital bosses not to close a hyperacute stroke treatment unit.

Denise Burkill, 46, from Darlington, a former area sales manager who has been left partially blind by a devastating stroke, urged officials to keep the unit open at her local hospital.

“When you have a stroke, every second counts,” she said.

“I just think it does not make sense to move the acute stroke treatment unit out of the biggest town in County Durham. If it has to be centralised, it should be in Darlington.”

Bosses at County Durham and Darlington NHS Foundation Trust want to centralise hyperacute stroke treatment services at The University Hospital of North Durham, in Durham City.

At present, the service alternates between the Durham site and Darlington Memorial Hospital. But doctors and managers have agreed that this is no longer viable because of a shortage of specialised medical staff.

Ms Burkill suffered a stroke two years ago and was taken to a walk-in treatment centre by a neighbour. From there, she was transferred to Darlington Memorial Hospital, where doctors eventually confirmed she had suffered a massive stroke.

She was then rushed to Bishop Auckland Hospital, which, at that time, was the main acute stroke treatment centre in South Durham.

Fortunately, doctors were able to minimise the damage caused by the stroke, but Ms Burkill is now unable to work.

Ms Burkill wants to see anyone with a suspected stroke receiving the best treatment in as short a time as possible.

She said: “I don’t want anyone else to go through what I did. People who have had a suspected stroke must be seen within the first three or four hours to have the best chance of recovery.”

Hospital bosses argue that the Durham City hospital is the best place to run a 24-hour hyperacute stroke service because of superior facilities and because it is a more convenient location for a greater number of stroke patients.

Peter Moore, regional head of operations for the Stroke Association, said: “Doing nothing is not an option, but I am sure that if evidence comes out that Darlington is the most appropriate site, they they would look at that.”

A 30-day public consultation about the proposals gets under way on Monday, and a series of public meetings is being held across County Durham and Darlington.