British stiff upper lip causing preventable stroke deaths

British stiff upper lip causing preventable stroke deaths

The Stroke Association is revealing a concerning new trend: the most at risk groups are least likely to call 999 due to not wanting to “burden the already busy emergency services”⁽ⁱ⁾, which is causing people to die at home.

Despite NHS and Government advice that the NHS is “open for business”, new survey results⁽ⁱ⁾ released today on behalf of the Stroke Association have found that despite being most at risk, a third of over 65s are most likely to put off calling 999 for non-Covid life threatening conditions. They report the main reason is not wanting to “burden the already busy emergency services”. The charity warns that you mustn’t ‘keep calm and carry on’, you need to act FAST and call 999.

Emergency department attendance is still down from what is expected at this time of year, according to Public Health England⁽ⁱⁱⁱ⁾. The Office for National Statistics⁽ⁱⁱ⁾ has reported that deaths at home attributed to stroke during the coronavirus period are much higher than the previous five year average. This means that there are many more preventable deaths at home, around a frightened family.

The Stroke Association, the UK’s leading stroke charity, wants everyone to know that when you see the signs of stroke, call 999 straight away.

Signs of stroke (FAST test)

Face – Can the person smile? Has their face fallen on one side?
Arms – Can the person raise both arms and keep them there?
Speech problems – Can the person speak clearly and understand what you say? Is their speech slurred?
Time – If you see any single one of these signs, it’s time to call 999

The research

• (i)Taken from market research specialists, Eden Stanley, based on their monthly survey of 1,000 respondents conducted 1 – 31 May 2020.
• (ii)Taken from the latest stats from the Office of National Statistics (ONS) on excess non-Covid deaths.
• (iii)(England) Public Health England. Emergency department: weekly bulletins https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/emergency-department-weekly-bulletins-for-2020

Key revelations

• ONS report deaths at home have risen 54% higher based on the rolling five year average. (Office for National Statistics)
• Emergency department attendance in England are down 38% from what is expected at this time of year (week ending 21 June – Public Health England Emergency Department Bulletin)
• Over a third (35%) of older people (65+) said they were less likely to contact emergency services with non-Covid symptoms due to the pandemic. (Eden Stanley research conducted May 2020, released 02 July 2020)
• 51% of older people (65+) stated they didn’t want to “burden already busy emergency services” as the reason for not attending hospital. (Eden Stanley, ibid) despite this age group being at the greatest risk of stroke.

Spokespeople for interview

Professor Martin James – Clinical Director of the King’s College London Stroke Programme and Consultant Stroke Physician at the Royal Devon & Exeter Hospital, Exeter, and a Trustee of the Stroke Association, said:

“On my acute stroke unit in Exeter and across the country stroke specialists have seen striking reductions in the number of people coming into hospital with the symptoms of stroke during the coronavirus pandemic. But our hospitals remain well equipped and ready to treat stroke patients safely and so we would say to the Great British public, despite everything else that is going on, stroke is still a medical emergency.”

Juliet Bouverie – Chief Executive, Stroke Association

“Stoicism kills and the British sense of ‘keep calm and carry on’ doesn’t save lives. It’s really worrying to see that the people most at risk of stroke are most likely to die at home because they were too frightened of bothering the emergency services – your life matters. Stroke is a brain attack. When you see the signs of stroke, you need to raise the alarm right away by calling 999.”

Key case studies for interview

We can also offer several stroke survivors who have had a stroke during lockdown and consequently avoided hospital at first due to the pandemic. Including:

Ms P (name available on request)

Ms P had a multiple strokes in early May 2020. She speaks eloquently and openly about her stroke and why she delayed attending hospital due to fear of coronavirus.

Contact

To set up interviews and for more information, please contact:

Ken Scott – PR Officer on 0115 7788429 or ken.scott@stroke.org.uk Alternatively, email press@stroke.org.uk