Clwyd West MS Darren Millar has called on the Welsh Government to deliver on its promise to the Stroke Association and run the charity’s Act FAST stroke campaign in Wales.  

The Act FAST stroke campaign urges the public to call 999 if they notice even one of the signs of a stroke in themselves, or in others:

Face – has their face fallen on one side? Can they smile?

Arms – can they raise both their arms and keep them there?

Speech – is their speech slurred?

Time – to call 999

It has been introduced in other parts of the UK, but not in Wales, despite promises that it would be.  

During yesterday’s Business Statement in the Senedd, Darren emphasised the need for the campaign in Wales and called for a Statement from the Cabinet Secretary for Health on the matter. 

He said: 

“I call for a statement from the Cabinet Secretary in relation to the need for a frequent Act FAST campaign in relation to the symptoms of stroke?

“The Stroke Association was promised by the Welsh Government last October that you would be running a campaign in order to promote awareness of the face, arms, speech and time issues associated with stroke so that we could prevent people from coming to harm. They're getting on with this in other parts of the United Kingdom, but Wales seems to be dragging its feet, and there's no sign of any particular campaign taking place in the near future. So can we have an update on that and what the Welsh Government is going to do to address it?”  

The Welsh Government’s Trefnydd (Business Manager) Jane Hutt replied: 

“We're very aware of the importance of the Act FAST stroke campaign. Of course, we have our stroke pathway in Wales, which is well established and proven in terms of evidence, but, clearly, the importance of action in terms of stroke response is key. That's something that health boards will have to respond to, and, indeed, we support.”

Darren added: 

“This is an important campaign that has had a significant impact on patients receiving stroke treatment in other parts of the UK and I just don’t understand why the Welsh Government is taking so long to crack on with it here in Wales.”