A well-attended public talk on stroke recognition and emergency treatment held as part of a wider stroke awareness campaign led by South Central Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust (SCAS) has received highly positive feedback from attendees.
The event, “Stroke: Early Recognition and Emergency Treatment”, took place on 21 May at the John Radcliffe Hospital in Oxford and brought together members of the public, healthcare professionals, governors and community representatives to learn more about recognising the signs of stroke and the importance of rapid emergency treatment.
The evening opened with CPR and defibrillator demonstrations delivered by Helen Robertson and Steven Coates, Community First Responders, before a welcome and introduction from Damian Haywood. Presentations were then delivered by Professor Gary A Ford and Dr Kirubananthan Nagaratnam, who shared expert insight into the early recognition of stroke, prehospital emergency care and advances in specialist stroke treatment.
Attendees heard how rapid identification and treatment can significantly improve outcomes for stroke patients, including information about thrombolysis, thrombectomy and specialist stroke unit care. The event also provided an opportunity for the public to ask questions directly to stroke specialists during an engaging Q&A session.
Feedback following the talk was overwhelmingly positive, with attendees describing the session as informative, engaging and empowering. Many commented that they felt more confident recognising stroke symptoms and understood more clearly the importance of calling 999 immediately if a stroke is suspected.
The event formed part of a wider public awareness campaign focused on improving understanding of stroke symptoms and encouraging people to act FAST in an emergency.