Introduction

National stroke campaign launches

National stroke campaign launches

National stroke campaign launches as new figures show larger proportion of strokes in middle age adults

  • New figures reveal that in 2016, 57,000 people had a first time stroke in England4 and around 30,000 died from a stroke1
  • While the majority of strokes happen to those over 70, a larger proportion of strokes are occurring in middle age adults (40 – 69 years)4
  • Public Health England launches national Act F.A.S.T. stroke campaign to remind people of all ages to be aware of the symptoms and call 999 urgently at the first signs
  • Timely treatment can reduce the risk of disability and death

Public Health England (PHE) has relaunched the Act F.A.S.T. stroke campaign which urges the public to call 999 if they notice even one of the signs of a stroke in themselves, or in others:

  • Face – has their face fallen on one side? Can they smile?
  • Arms – can they raise both their arms and keep them there?
  • Speech – is their speech slurred?
  • Time – time to call 999

In England, one in six people will have a stroke in their lifetime and new statistics released by PHE show that 57,000 people had their first-time stroke in 2016. It is estimated that around 30% of people who have a stroke will go on to experience another stroke.

Stroke is the third most common cause of premature death and a leading cause of disability in the UK. There are around 32,000 stroke related deaths in England each year. Deaths related to stroke have declined by 49% in the past 15 years. This has been accredited to a combination of better prevention, earlier treatment and more advanced.

ACT FAST Leaflet