McArthur backs FAST campaign for World Stroke Day

Orkney’s MSP, Liam McArthur, has backed the Stroke Association’s new Pass FAST On campaign ahead of World Stroke Day this Saturday, October 29.

With stroke occurring every five minutes in the UK, the FAST acronym has been designed to help people recognise the most common signs of a stroke and serve as a reminder on what to do when stroke strikes: facial weakness (F), arm weakness (A) or speech problems (S) means it is time to call 999 (T).

This year’s World Stroke Day coincides with the 13th anniversary of Public Health England’s own ‘Act FAST’ campaign launch. To mark this milestone, the Stroke Association carried out a UK-wide survey of 1,000 teenagers (aged 13-19) and their parents. The new findings reveal that over half of UK teenagers are unaware of the FAST acronym and over 1 in 3 don’t know calling 999 is the first thing you should do if someone is having a stroke.

Stroke is one of the most common causes of death in Scotland and the single largest cause of severe disability. It is projected that the number of stroke survivors living in Scotland will increase to 175,000 by 2035. Mr McArthur is encouraging constituents to help raise awareness by passing the FAST message on to family and friends this World Stroke Day.

Mr McArthur said: “Strokes can have a devastating impact on individuals and their loved ones. Sadly, despite their high occurrence, many are unaware of the common signs and critically how to respond to these. The FAST message is a simple and effective reminder of how to quickly identify strokes and seek medical assistance immediately.

“It is also important to recognise that as many as nine out of ten strokes are preventable. By maintaining a healthy lifestyle and checking our blood pressure regularly, we can all do our bit to help reduce the risk. Spotting these risks early, however, will also make a vital difference to treatment and positive outcomes.

“On this World Stroke Day, I would like to pay tribute to the many invaluable health and care workers who support those impacted by stroke in Orkney and call on everyone to pass FAST on to help save lives.”