Stroke services at London North West Healthcare NHS Trust have been labelled the best in the country and is a testament a “relentless and focused” team, according to a lead consultant.

A national audit discovered that The Comprehensive Stroke Unit, in Northwick Park Hospital in Watford Road, Harrow, achieved 10 out of 10, the highest possible rating in findings from the 2016 Acute Organisational Audit.

Figures have shown that suffering from a stroke is the fourth largest cause of death in the UK, happening approximately 152,000 times a year, which equals to one every 3 minutes 27 seconds.

Dr David Cohen, Lead Consultant for Stroke at LNWH, said: "This success is testament to the amazing teamwork and dedication shown by all staff across a range of disciplines, on the unit and in the community.

"The entire team are relentless in their focus and commitment to provide the very best care to our patients in the most appropriate setting.

"As one of the largest integrated healthcare trusts in the country, we are uniquely placed to be able to provide care for stroke patients from the point they are admitted, through to discharge and onto rehabilitation in their own homes."

Produced by the Royal College of Physicians, the audit measures how stroke services are organised and accessed in 178 hospitals based on 10 key indicators.

They aspects such as specialist staffing and workforce planning, patient and carer engagement and access to specialist treatment.

Northwick Park Hospital has eight Hyper Acute Stroke Units in London and treats more than 1,500 patients a year.