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Stroke patients across South Yorkshire can now access a potentially life-saving clot removal procedure known as mechanical thrombectomy any time of the day or night, seven days a week.
The expanded mechanical thrombectomy service, which is provided at Sheffield's Royal Hallamshire Hospital, a part of Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, has already started treating patients overnight including a 91-year-old who had a major blood vessel in her brain blocked by a blood clot. Just hours after the procedure, which was undertaken at 2.30am, she was back on the stroke unit in Doncaster to continue her recovery.
Mechanical thrombectomy is used to treat some of the most severe types of strokes and is performed by a highly skilled interventional neuroradiologist. It involves removing a blood clot from a large blood vessel in the brain and restoring blood flow to brain tissue. The sooner the procedure is performed, the more brain can be 'saved', decreasing the risk of severe disability and improving outcomes by giving patients the best chance of recovery.
Around 200 stroke patients were treated with mechanical thrombectomy during normal working hours in 2025. Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust is one of 24 regional stroke centres across England, and the only centre in the South Yorkshire region, to offer the procedure.
Transformative stroke treatment
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|The expanded service has been made possible thanks to colleagues from stroke services across the region
Dr Jessica Redgrave, Consultant Neurologist and co-Clinical Lead for Hyperacute Stroke at Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust said: "A stroke can strike at any time, day or night. For some stroke patients, having a mechanical thrombectomy can make the difference between lifelong severe disability and walking out of the hospital independently. It is a time-critical treatment, so we are delighted to be providing this 24/7.
"Since extending the hours of service, we have already treated several patients who may have previously missed the time window for treatment. This development has been the result of a tremendous collaboration across the whole regional stroke network, incorporating many different medical specialities, the ambulance services and senior managers and clinicians from South Yorkshire NHS Trusts. We are grateful to all those who contributed to the launch of this service expansion."
Professor Joyce Balami, Stroke Consultant at Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, who co-led the service development and whose research in 2016 also contributed to NICE's endorsement of the technique, added: "I am thrilled that patients in South Yorkshire can now access this treatment round the clock."
Dr Richard Jenkins, Interim CEO of Doncaster and Bassetlaw Teaching Hospitals and Joint Chief Executive of Barnsley Hospital and The Rotherham NHS Foundation Trust, said: "I am delighted that 24/7 mechanical thrombectomy will now be available for people in South Yorkshire. This is a treatment that is transformative for someone with a stroke and will lead to many lives saved and disability prevented or reduced significantly.
"It is a fantastic example of what can be achieved when organisations and clinical teams work together with a shared focus on improving patient care. While the specialist procedure is delivered at the hyperacute stroke unit in Sheffield, this service simply would not be possible without the expertise, commitment and rapid action of colleagues across our local stroke network, who assess, stabilise and transfer patients at any time of the day or night.
"Together, we have transformed access to this life-saving treatment, ensuring that people across our region can now receive the care they need 24 hours a day, seven days a week, giving more patients the best possible chance of recovery after stroke."
'I was on the edge of death and then I was back to normal'
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|Kevin was back on the stroke ward and feeling almost 'normal' just hours after undergoing a life-saving mechanical thrombectomy
One patient who owes his life to mechanical thrombectomy is 60-year-old Kevin Collins, from Doncaster, who suffered a stroke at home in April last year.
Mr Collins began to feel disorientated while at home and, within 10 to 15 seconds, he found himself laid flat out on the floor as if he had collapsed. He remained awake and responsive but was unable to communicate.
His partner called 999 and he was rushed by ambulance to Doncaster Royal Infirmary, where he received medication and rapid assessments including a scan which showed he had a large blood clot on his brain.
He was eligible for mechanical thrombectomy and was transferred by ambulance to the Royal Hallamshire Hospital, with the procedure returning him back to health almost instantaneously.
"All I remember was being taken out of the ambulance into theatre, and the next thing I woke up and my speech and everything was fine. Everything felt back to normal and the staff couldn't believe how well I was. I was back on the stroke ward in Doncaster a few hours later. It felt like I had no symptoms. It was unbelievable. Luck was on my side that day. I couldn't speak, I couldn't move, I'd collapsed on the doorway and then within a matter of hours, I could move and I could communicate with everyone. I was on the edge of death and then I was back to normal. Mechanical thrombectomy saved my life. I can't thank the nurses, doctors and radiologists enough, they've all been fantastic."
Alongside direct admissions to the Royal Hallamshire Hospital, patients identified as suitable for mechanical thrombectomy in Doncaster and Chesterfield hyperacute stroke units will be transferred urgently to the Royal Hallamshire Hospital for treatment, before being returned to their local hospital within 24 hours for ongoing care and recovery.
Symptoms of a stroke
This World Stroke Day, remember the signs of stroke and Act FAST at the first sign.
- Face - has their face fallen on one side?
- Arms - can they raise both arms and keep them there?
- Speech - is their speech slurred?
- Time - if you see any one of these signs, it's time to call 999
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