North Swindon MP, Justin Tomlinson has attended a reception in Parliament with the Stroke Association which highlighted some of the extremely important issues facing victims of strokes as well as discussing the existing measures in place such as the FAST campaign and other strategies the charity has going forward.
The Stroke Association are the largest charity for victims of strokes in the UK and through their campaigns such as FAST (Face, Arm, Speech and Time) are helping to educate people on the danger and commonality of strokes, as well as giving the people the knowledge to recognise the symptoms in a potentially life or death situation.
The charity works on helping stroke victims through the difficult period of recovery and supporting them in returning to life after a stroke. Statistics show that across the UK there is a recorded blood clot on the brain (stroke) every 5 minutes. This equates to over 100,000 a year.
- There are 1,384 stroke survivors in North Swindon
- 55% of patients believed to have suffered a stroke received a brain scan at the GWH within 1 hour (above the national average)
- 92% of patients believed to have suffered a stroke received a brain scan at the GWH within 12 hours (in line with the national average)
- 98% of eligible patients received thrombolysis clotbusting drugs (well above the national average)
Locally Justin has worked closely with the Swindon Stroke Support Group to raise awareness of the action to take if you suspect a friend or relative is have a stroke, as well as raising funds for the group to deliver activities for the stroke victims and their families.
Justin Tomlinson MP said: “I was delighted to come along today to meet with the representatives here on behalf of the Stroke Association. I have worked very closely a number of times with the local stroke support group in Swindon with fundraising activities as well as highlighting the importance of the work they are doing by helping victims of strokes regain their confidence living normal lives. The work of the Stroke Association is so important in raising awareness of stroke symptoms and educating people on how to reduce their chance of having a stroke.”
