The centralisation of stroke services in London has saved 96 lives a year, according to a study published last week.

Queen’s Hospital, in Romford, led by the Barking, Havering and Redbridge University (BHRUT), is one of eight hyper acute stroke units created in the capital in 2010.

For the last four years, anyone suffering a stroke in London is taken to one of these 24-hour specialist units rather than a more local hospital.

The research, completed by UCL, Manchester University, King’s College London and the Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust, examined the data of 258,915 stroke admissions across England from 2008-2012.