‘Don’t delay’ making stroke 999 call – NHS

A new campaign by the NHS in England is encouraging people who experience the first sign of a stroke not to delay calling 999, after analysis of calls made in the last year showed the average time to do so was nearly an hour and a half.

England’s most senior doctor says stroke symptoms might not appear obvious or dramatic, but they are always a reason to act quickly.

About 100,000 people have a stroke each year in the UK and more than a third die from related issues, making it the fourth biggest cause of death in the UK.

The most common symptoms are struggling to smile or raise an arm, and slurring words when speaking.

NHS England says recognising any one of these signs in yourself or others and dialling 999 urgently is crucial to getting prompt, specialist treatment.

Yet the average time taken to make that emergency call was 88 minutes in 2023-24, NHS data reveals.

The analysis, from a team at King’s College London, looked at data for more than 41,000 stroke patients who were taken by ambulance to hospital.

NHS England also said a recent poll they carried out found a mistaken belief that two or three stroke symptoms were necessary before calling 999.

Professor Sir Stephen Powis, NHS England’s medical director, said people should act fast to help save lives.

“These figures highlight very clearly that we must do more to support people to recognise the symptoms of stroke in themselves and others, and take action to call 999 at the earliest opportunity. ”

He said stroke symptoms “can be less obvious or dramatic than you might expect”, but added that even if it doesn’t seem like it, any sign of a stroke is always an emergency.