'Video call helped save my husband's life'

A woman has thanked the nurse who identified her husband's rare stroke via a new video triage system, saying she may have saved his life.

After suffering a basilar artery stroke, Richard Hughes, of Kettering, was assessed by the University Hospitals of Northamptonshire's new pre-hospital video triage (PHVT).

The system was not officially operating when Rachael Day, lead stroke specialist nurse at Northampton General Hospital, answered what she thought was a test call.

"I don't know what would have happened without the call. I can't praise them enough – they did an excellent job," Richard's wife Jane Hughes told BBC Radio Northampton.

Richard suffered his stroke on 22 January, telling his wife he "felt funny" while they were out for breakfast with their daughter, before experiencing double vision and other symptoms.

"All of a sudden he got this headache, he started vomiting and was dizzy and he started falling over," Jane said.

However, he was not showing typical stroke symptoms such as slurred speech, drooped face or arm weakness.

"There was no indication that it was a stroke or anything like that. He just felt really ill, like a mega migraine," she said.

"They checked him over in the ambulance [and] they did the video call. Rachael noticed his eyes were going really strange at this point."

Day said: "As soon as I spotted the issues with his eye, I realised this was potentially a very serious stroke and arranged for him to be seen immediately at our specialist stroke unit in Northampton General Hospital."

"I am grateful I received [the] call because it meant we were able to diagnose the issue and administer life-saving thrombolysis treatment to reduce the clot and restore blood flow, before transferring him to [John Radcliffe Hospital] Oxford.

"PHVT allows us to assess suspected stroke patients faster and make quicker decisions based on what we see. When time is of the essence, these calls help ensure patients receive the right care at the right time."

Jane said the call had ensured her husband was taken straight to Northampton General Hospital, potentially saving his life.

Had he gone to another hospital close by, she said, it could have delayed him getting specialist treatment.

The hospital trust said basilar artery strokes made up about 1% of all strokes and could be fatal in up to 95% of cases if not treated swiftly.

Richard celebrated his 80th birthday at Northampton General Hospital after spending three months recovering there.

He continues to receive support to walk and speak and said he was progressing towards his goal of being able to get upstairs to have a bath.

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