Stroke and ischaemic attack: 4-hour swallowing assessment

This indicator covers the proportion of people who have had an acute stroke whose swallowing is screened by a specially trained healthcare professional within 4 hours of admission to hospital. It measures outcomes that reflect the quality of care or processes linked by evidence to improved outcomes.

Last reviewed: November 2020

Next review: September 2026

This indicator will be reviewed using the assessment criteria in Appendix B of the NICE indicators process guide when it reaches its review date or the underlying guidance is updated.

This indicator was previously published as CCG53.

How to use NICE indicators and how we develop them

Indicators can be used in a number of different settings to support high quality care. These include:

• identifying where improvements are needed
• setting priorities for quality improvement and support
• creating local performance dashboards
• benchmarking performance against national data
• supporting local quality improvement schemes
• showing progress that local health systems are making on outcomes.

Find out how to use indicators and how we develop them.