Responding to the World Stroke Day debate in the Scottish Parliament on 28 October 2026, Billy Alexander, Associate Director for the Stroke Association in Scotland, said:
“We welcome the announcement from Maree Todd MSP, Minister for Mental Wellbeing, Public Health, Sport, Alcohol and Drugs, that the Scottish Government intends to publish a roadmap for delivering a 24/7 national thrombectomy se
Thrombectomy can make the difference between a stroke survivor returning to an independent life or living with significant long-term disability.
Billy Alexander, Stroke Association’s associate director for Scotland, said:
“We welcome today’s commitment from First Minister to ensure every stroke patient in Scotland who needs a thrombectomy gets one – regardless of the time or day. Whilst long overdue, this could herald a genuine turning point for stroke care in Scotland.
“Thrombectomy is a lifechanging treatment that ca
“Stroke teams cannot make this transformation alone. Scottish Government and NHS leaders now need to provide the leadership, workforce, investment and national planning required to turn the ambition of a 24/7 thrombectomy service into reality.”
A brave mum from Kirkcaldy has opened up about her baby daughter's stroke a year ago for Stroke Awareness Month
The Stroke Association has been awarded funding by the RS Macdonald Charitable Trust for its first Engagement Officer for the Highlands to expand its support in the more rural and remote areas and recruit volunteers who can help stroke survivors to make the best possible recovery. Richard Van de Peer from Strontian recently joined the Stroke Association’s Scotland team and, for the next two ye
Five things stroke professionals believe can improve Scotland’s stroke care to save lives and livelihoods
Nearly 46 people will have a stroke every day in Scotland – that's one person every 32 minutes – by 20351 unless the public are better informed about the causes of stroke and how to prevent it.
The Stroke Association is expecting the number of people having a first or second stroke in Scotland to increase to more than 16,500 a year by 2035. Currently, 30 people have a stroke every day in Sco
An Inverness man has opened up about his struggles since having a stroke in November 2022 to raise awareness of the condition and support the Stroke Association’s Christmas fundraising appeal.
Stuart Cassells, 46, found fame as the founding member of the Red Hot Chilli Pipers. On 26th November 2022, he had a stroke at his son’s second birthday party and has had to come to terms with a genetic
The nation is woefully unaware of stroke, and the lifelong impact it can have on Scotland’s stroke survivors, according to new data released for World Stroke Day (29 October).
Stroke is Scotland’s third biggest killer1and the leading cause of complex adult disability. Yet new survey results from the Stroke Association found that people are worryingly uninformed about stroke and the risk it pose
In response to today’s publication of the Scottish Stroke Improvement Programme annual report 2025, John Watson, Associate Director for the Stroke Association in Scotland, said:
“Stroke is Scotland's third biggest killer, and the leading cause of complex adult disability. But these new figures1 show the ongoing failure of health boards to make stroke the priority it needs to be.
“The failu
The Stroke Association has responded to a Scottish Government consultation on its proposed Long Term Conditions Framework
Ross Macdonald thrives on his career in security governance for the UK Government. He also supports his local community’s safety as a volunteer coastguard.
Yet just nine months ago, he had a stroke which left him with sensory difficulties, memory problems, communication problems, and severe fatigue. Ross was a 47-year-old father of three at the time, five months into tying the knot with his lo
Beatrice Wishart MSP is hosting an event with the Stroke Association and Chest, Heart & Stroke Scotland at the Scottish Parliament on 12th June, to bring the plight of stroke survivors across Scotland to the attention of Members of the Scottish Parliament.
Around 10,000 Scottish residents have a stroke every year and the latest figure for Shetland is 37 islanders had a stroke in 20231.
The latest statistics on the scale of stroke in Dumfries and Galloway show 325 people had a stroke in 20231, with admissions across both Dumfries & Galloway Royal Infirmary and Galloway Community Hospital.
The Stroke Association estimates that 60%2 of these people will be left with some form of disability, while the charity’s research has found that 75% are likely to experience mental he
This month is Stroke Awareness Month and members of the Stroke Association’s Clackmannanshire Stroke Support Group are in various locations around the Wee County to raise awareness of the condition and the support available to stroke survivors in Scotland.
They were in Alloa Library last week where they welcomed Brian Leishman MP, who heard about the scale of stroke in his own constituency and
Sisters Kirsty and Shirley Macgowan remember when their mum died of a stroke with immense sadness. She was only 62 and seemed well, from keeping fit and healthy. In fact, she had been out on her bike the day before she had a stroke.
That was 23rd July 2008, and they still feel their mum, Molly’s loss keenly. The sisters say, “Mum's stroke was so sudden and unexpected - it made us realise how li
Scotland trails Ukraine in thrombectomy procedures in 2023 (1) About 1 in 7 of those who needed life changing procedure in Scotland in 2023 got it (2) Thrombectomy reduces the likelihood of a stroke survivor living with severe disability (3) It is one of the most cost-effective treatments in all of medicine, saving the health and care system £47,000 per patient over a five-year period (4)
By Professor Terry Quinn, David Cargill Chair in Geriatric Medicine and Honorary Consultant Physician in Stroke and Geriatric Medicine at University of Glasgow. His article was first published in The Times Scotland.
As a junior doctor in the early 2000s, I decided to work in Scotland specialising in stroke-care. This was for two reasons, firstly I could see that stroke was common in Scotland, e
Stroke Association-funded research has promising results which could lead to a new drug treatment
