There was 5-fold variation between SUs in the nurse/bed ratio on weekends, and the nurse/bed ratio on weekends was highly correlated (Pearson r = 0.96) with the nurse/bed ratio on weekdays (Figure 1). Again, there was evidence of significant differences in important patient prognostic variables between SUs (age, OCSP type, hypoxia, consciousness, and pre-stroke independence) but no clear linear trends between the nursing ratios and case mix variables (Table 4). SUs with higher nurse/bed ratios had fewer beds and higher nurse/bed ratios during the week and were more likely to also have physician rounds 7 d/wk (Table 4). Care quality was highest, and crude mortality lowest, in SUs with ratios of ≥3.0 nurses/ten beds compared to SUs with lower nurse/bed ratios.