Thirty years of the South London Stroke Register

Abstract

Since the beginning of the South London Stroke Register (SLSR) in 1995, stroke care has undergone major transformations and the SLSR adapted alongside. Recruitment strategies changed in line with patient pathways, and data collections were updated to reflect clinical practice and provide clinicians and policymakers with the most impactful data. Our Stroke Research Patient and Family group was pivotal to define the most relevant care and outcome measures for stroke survivors. The SLSR has published numerous studies on epidemiological trends and the implementation of care interventions. By providing real-world data, the SLSR has contributed to shaping local and national stroke policies, such as the UK’s National Audit Office reports 2005 and 2010, the reconfiguration of London’s stroke services and national stroke guidelines. Linking SLSR data with routinely collected health data might further address many unanswered questions around stroke as a long-term chronic condition in ageing populations.

Keywords

Stroke / Epidemiology / Cohort study / Population-based register

Funding

This project is funded by the UK’s National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) under its Programme Grants for Applied Research (NIHR202339) and is supported by the NIHR Applied Research Collaboration (ARC) South London at King’s College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, UK. The views expressed are those of the authors and not necessarily those of the NIHR or the Department of Health and Social Care (UK). The study has previously received funding from many sources including The Dunhill Medical Trust, the NIHR funding streams (Programme Grants for Applied Research and Research for Patient Benefit), the European Union, the Health Foundation, the Department of Health (UK), the Stanley Thomas Johnson Foundation, the Stroke Association and Guy’s and St Thomas’ Charity.

Conflict of interest

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

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