Dionne Hudson from Surrey tells how grateful she is for the quick response from ambulance and hospital staff as NHS launches stroke campaign | News centre

Dionne, 58 from Banstead, is telling her story as part of a new NHS campaign to encourage people to dial 999 immediately if they or a loved one experience any signs of stroke. 

The NHS has launched the first major update to the ‘Act FAST’ campaign since 2009, urging the public to call 999 immediately if anyone experiences one of the three common symptoms of struggling to smile (Face) or raise an arm (Arms), or slurring their words (Speech).  

The campaign comes as new data shows the average time between onset of first symptom and a 999 call being made last year was nearly an hour and a half.  

Dionne urges people to call 999 even if the first sign of stroke doesn’t seem like an emergency, and said immediate action at the first sign of a stroke “could help save and protect many more lives”. 

When Dionne Hudson’s arm went numb one evening in July, she assumed it had been from lying on it as she sat on the sofa. She went to pick up her phone, but felt a strange feeling in her hand as though she couldn’t reach or grip her phone. When the numbness did not go away, the thought crossed her mind that she might be having a stroke she checked for other signs of a stroke in the mirror. Although she couldn’t raise her aim and keep it up, her face and speech were unaffected, so she assumed that it couldn’t be a stroke and went to sleep.

She said:

The doctors were amazed that I had survived my stroke, as it had actually occurred the night before I called 999. Looking back, I was very lucky as the weakness in my arm was a clear sign of a stroke, but because I didn’t have a dramatic symptom affecting my face or speech, I didn’t consider that I should get help sooner.

I’m so grateful for the quick response from the ambulance and hospital staff, as their care has meant I’m now at home with my husband and daughter and working hard on the road to recovery.

Dionne had experienced an Ischaemic stroke and was partially paralysed on the left side of her body. Doctors told her that it was a miracle she had survived the stroke but warned her that recovery could take up to a year. Defying the odds, Dionne returned home after only eight days in hospital, where she now continues her rehabilitation. While she is still in the very early stages of recovery, Dionne is feeling positive about the future and is already able to do a number of tasks that she was unable to do following her stroke.  

Dionne’ s call comes as new analysis of NHS data shows that for 2023-24, of 41,327 patients with a recorded time of symptom onset, the average time between first symptom and a 999 call being made was 88 minutes. 

While the first sign of a stroke might not seem like much – like not being able to raise your arm, or struggling to smile, or slurring when you speak – any sign of a stroke is always an emergency.  

The NHS campaign launches with a brand new TV advert showing example symptoms – a man recognising his partner is struggling to smile while watching TV (Face), a decorator suddenly unable to lift their paint roller (Arm), and a grandmother struggling to read their grandchild a bedtime story (Speech) – which will run across TV, TV on demand and radio in England until mid-December. 

As part of the campaign launch, a powerful new film has also been released which features stroke survivors, including Dionne, listening back to audio recordings of the real 999 calls that saved their lives.    

Dr Christopher Tibbs, Medical Director for the NHS in the South East, said:

The time it takes people suffering from a stroke to get treatment is incredibly important and that’s why we need to do more to help people recognise the symptoms and take action quickly.

I’m grateful to Dionne for allowing us to highlight her case as part of our campaign as what happened to her could easily happen to someone else and we need them to be able to recognise the potential they’re having a stroke and call 999 without delay.

Jacqualine Lindridge, Chief Paramedic for South East Coast Ambulance Service, which handled stroke survivor Dionne’s 999 call, said:

We’re absolutely here to help. Getting to a definitive place of treatment is so crucial for people suffering from stroke. The sooner a person receives treatment, the better their chances of recovery and reducing long-term damage. 

We would really urge people not to wait for multiple symptoms and if in any doubt make the call as our staff are equipped with the knowledge and tools to help determine whether you are likely to be suffering a stroke.

Professor Sir Stephen Powis said:

These figures highlight very clearly that we must do more to support people to recognise the symptoms of stroke in themselves and others and take action to call 999 at the earliest opportunity. Stroke symptoms can be less obvious or dramatic than you might expect, but even if it doesn’t seem like it, any sign of stroke is always an emergency and it’s vital you call 999 immediately.  

This campaign is so important – greater awareness of the need to act fast and dial 999 could help save and protect many more lives, as we know that earlier recognition of symptoms and immediate action to call 999 can enable faster access to specialist treatment and the best chance of reducing long-term effects of a stroke.

In the last few years, NHS teams have rolled out innovative new ways to find and treat more people with the major risk factors for cardiovascular health issues, including rolling out blood pressure checks in high-street pharmacies for people over 40, making free blood pressure monitors available to 220,000 people at increased risk, and rapidly rolling out blood-thinning drugs to help save thousands of lives.

The first signs of a stroke include

• Face weakness – it might be hard to smile, and one side of your face may droop (fall) 
• Arm weakness – you may not be able to fully lift both arms and keep them there because of weakness or numbness in one arm  
• Speech problems – you may slur your words or sound confused  

Other symptoms that could be the first sign you or someone else is having a stroke include:

• Sudden weakness or numbness on one side of your body (including in your leg)   
• Sudden loss of vision or blurred vision in one or both eyes   
• Sudden difficulty speaking or thinking of words Sudden memory loss or confusion   
• Sudden severe headache  
• Sudden dizziness, unsteadiness or a sudden fall, especially with any of the other signs   

 

Visit www.nhs.uk/ActFAST for more information