CHANGES in the National Health Service are often greeted with suspicion because, rightly or wrongly, the public perception at a time of relentless austerity is that the main driver is cost-saving.

However, the reorganisation of stroke care services in the North-East a few years ago is an example of how reviewing the way health services are delivered is not about costs but improving patient care.

There was understandable anxiety in the south of the region, notably in Darlington, when stroke care was taken away from the town's Memorial Hospital and concentrated in a specialist unit at the University Hospital of North Durham, in Durham City.

But, with a national shortage of stroke specialists, it made complete sense to focus that specialism in one centre instead of spreading the expertise too thinly.

New reports show that steady progress is being made in the care of stroke patients, with the North-East generally following the national trend of improvement. That welcome progress is down to fewer but better specialist units.

The state of the nation reports point to the potential for further improvement, but the main hurdle to overcome continues to be major shortages in doctors and nurses with specialist training.

The reorganisation of services in the North-East was challenging and controversial, but it has been achieved and it has proved to be successful. Stroke patients in our region are getting better care and more lives are being saved - but there is no room for complacency.

If the momentum is to be continued, the core problem has to be tackled at a national level, with a greater emphasis on the training of stroke specialists.