Stroke Association comments on British Heart Foundation story on Stroke A&E attendances

Juliet Bouverie, Chief Executive at the Stroke Association said: “Stroke is the UK’s fourth biggest killer and the leading cause of disability, robbing people of their speech, mobility and independence in the blink of an eye.

“The increasing number of hospital admissions for stroke suggests that, thanks to public awareness campaigns such as FAST, people are getting better at spotting the warnings signs of stroke and seeking urgent medical attention. We also know the way that hospital admissions are recorded has changed over the past 15 years, which could have contributed to this rise. And of course, an ageing and growing population, could also be contributing to some of the increasing hospital admissions for stroke.

“Currently in the UK, someone loses their life to stroke every 13 minutes. This has to change. The recent announcement that a revolutionary new stroke treatment, mechanical thrombectomy, will be rolled out across England, will undoubtedly save more lives, and lower NHS and social care costs for stroke. However, there is so much more to do.

“Stroke is the killer condition that has been ignored for too long. The Stroke Association has been at the forefront of stroke research for over 20 years and is proud to have funded pioneering research that has helped save lives. We are delighted the British Heart Foundation joins us in an aim to increase research funding into stroke. Our research programme is vital in helping to save lives, improve treatments and prevent strokes and we’ll continue to lead the fight to conquer stroke. We know that stroke can be prevented; investing vital funds into world-class research is key to reducing the condition’s devastating impact.”