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Strokes: Health Education

Asked by Jim ShannonDemocratic Unionist PartyDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled Answered 25 June 2025UIN 60450

The question

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to help raise awareness of the symptoms of mini stroke.

Answered by Ashley Dalton

Information on mini strokes, also known as transient ischaemic attacks, is available on the NHS.UK website, at the following link:

https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/transient-ischaemic-attack-tia/#:~:text=A%20transient%20ischaemic%20attack%20(TIA,of%20oxygen%20to%20the%20brain

The main symptoms of a mini stroke are the same as those of stroke, and the National Health Service encourages people to use the FAST acronym for assessing if a mini stroke is occurring.

On 4 November, NHS England is launched a new Act FAST campaign to increase knowledge of the main signs of a stroke and to encourage people to dial 999 immediately in response to any sign, with the phrase ‘Face or Arm or Speech, at the first sign, it’s Time to call 999’.

The campaign ran in England across television, television on demand, radio, social media, national press, and ethnic minority television and radio stations. The campaign also included specific communications for multicultural and disabled audiences.

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