Stroke Information: Chest, Heart And Stroke Scotland

Stroke is the main cause of disability in the community.

Stroke Information

Stroke is the greatest single cause of severe disability in Scotland and the 3rd most common cause of death.

There are approximately 13,000 new strokes in Scotland each year. Of these approximately 3,000 are in someone under 65.

There are thousands of husbands, wives, children and friends who care for people who have had a stroke, whose lives are directly affected.

This section provides information about strokes and Transient Ischaemic Attacks (TIA).

Stroke is a medical emergency. Act FAST Call 999!

Stroke is a medical emergency. By calling 999 you can help someone reach hospital quickly and receive the early treatment they need.

Ambulance crews use FAST and with hospital staff can act fast to identify and diagnose a stroke quickly.

F—Facial weakness. Can the person smile? Has their mouth or eye drooped?
A—Arm weakness. Can the person raise both arms?
S—Speech problems. Can the person speak clearly and understand what you say?
T—Time to call 999

Find out more about our FAST Campaign.

CHSS Stroke Strategy For Scotland

One of our main publications is the CHSS Stroke Strategy (see related documents – right ) which resulted from our own commissioned research. This highlighted deficiencies in stroke care in most health board areas in Scotland.

This document was widely circulated for consultation and presented to the Scottish Executive and MSPs.

Better Heart Disease And Stroke Care Action Plan

The Scottish Government's new 'Better Heart Disease and Stroke Care Action Plan' was launched on 29th June 2009 (see related documents – right ).

Chest Heart & Stroke Scotland were heavily involved in the first CHD and Stroke Strategy, launched in 2002 and revised in 2004. This produced major improvements in the treatment of heart disease and stroke, particularly in acute services, where Scotland now has some of the best services in the UK.

The new Action Plan aims to offer comprehensive coverage of all the issues relating to heart disease and stroke and sets out a clear list of focused pieces of work for taking forward the next phase of the work in tackling the burden of heart disease and stroke.

The stroke section has a much overdue emphasis on the longer-term support people need to help them recover from the effects of the stroke in their own communities, the aspect of the consultation that generated more responses than any other.

For more information see the Scottish Government Website.

Stroke Information

Stroke is the main cause of disability in the community.