Hundreds of stroke sufferers may be dying needlessly because of a postcode lottery for specialist care, new figures revealed today.

More than a third of those struck down do not receive treatment on a stroke unit where their prospects are considerably better, a national audit found.

But Shropshire appears to be one of the country’s leaders in the quality of care that is provided to stroke patients in the county.

Purpose-built facilities are available at the Royal Shrewsbury and Telford’s Princess Royal hospitals.

Research, funded by the Healthcare Commission, found considerable disparities in the standard of care offered across England, Wales and Northern Ireland.

In particular, it found that patients in Wales are more likely to die, or, if they survive, suffer higher levels of disability, than elsewhere.

In Wales, just 28 per cent of patients are treated in a stroke unit, compared to an average of 62 per cent in the three countries.

Joe Korner, of The Stroke Association, said the Government must ensure the quality of stroke care does not come down to chance.

He said: “Stroke units can halve your chance of dying from a stroke, so it is a scandal that getting treated on one is a matter of luck or your postcode.”

Every year, more than 130,000 people in the UK have a stroke, said the charity. Trish Rowson, deputy chief executive of Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital Trust, said today:

“We have put an awful lot of focus on stroke care and we are proud of the services we provide.”

The PRH has a six-bed acute stroke ward, where high dependency patients are constantly monitored, and a purpose-built stroke rehabiliation ward.

There are similar facilities at the Royal Shrewsbury and both hospitals have designated stroke doctors.

In addition the sites have stroke teams including therapists and social workers as well as doctors and nurses.

By Health Correspondent Dave Morris