By Aline Nassif

aline.nassif@essnmedia.co.uk

A leading consultant at Mayday Hospital has made a desperate eleventh hour plea for its emergency stroke service to be saved.

Dr Enas Lawrence says hundreds of Croydon lives could be put at risk if Mayday's hyper acute stroke service is axed, as proposed in the Government's Healthcare for London plan.

The service treats over 600 patients a year, with roughly 60 of these being given highly specialised "thrombolysis" treatment within the first three hours of suffering an attack.

And the service is rated as one of the best in London for its treatment of stroke sufferers within the first 72 hours of them falling ill.

But instead of rewarding the good work, the Government wants to stop the service – and force patients to St George's Hospital, in Tooting, or the Princess Royal University Hospital, in Bromley.

Mayday would still have a stroke unit but crucially if the emergency service goes nobody would be treated in it within the first 72 hours after they suffer an attack.

Dr Lawrence said: "Two million brain cells die a minute in stroke victims, so every minute counts.

"Those first 72 hours are absolutely critical, and for people eligible for thrombolysis treatment, the sooner they get treated the better their chances of survival.

"It's frightening to think there could be a situation where a stroke patient is ambulanced past Mayday and to St George's, when we have a service that works."

The official consultation period over the proposals ends on May 8, so time is running out for Mayday to change the Government's mind.

Andrew Pelling, independent MP for Croydon Central, has put Mayday's concerns directly to the health minister Alan Johnson and this week launched a petition to present to Parliament.

He said: "I do not want Croydon people dying in the snarled traffic in Mitcham trying to get to St George's for urgent thrombolysis treatment.

"The Royal College of Physicians put Mayday in the top 10 per cent of performers on stroke treatment."

St George's itself is also backing Mayday's cause because it doesn't want to become overrun with stroke victims.

Mayday has run an acute stroke service since August 2007, and introduced thrombolysis treatment, which is about breaking up lethal blood clots, in January 2008.

Dr Lawrence added: "What happens if the paramedics miss the signs of a stroke and the patient is taken to Mayday before being carted off to St George's?

"That patient could potentially miss their chance of treatment. It doesn't even bear thinking about."

*For more information on the consultation and to register your opinion visit www.healthcareforlondon.nhs.uk or call 0808 238 5481.

To sign Mr Pelling's petition visit www.andrewpelling.org.uk