Call for greater stroke awareness
A north wales mum says everyone should be able to spot the signs that someone is having a stroke.
Research out today shows 500 people die every year because both the public and health professionals don't recognise the symptoms.
Eileen Pritchard from Pen y Cae near Wrexham campaigns for greater awareness after her 3 year old daughter Daisy went for 10 days before doctors realised she had had a stroke after an operation when she was 21 months old.
Hear Eileen speaking to Heart at the bottom of the page
People who experience classic signs of a mini-stroke (known as a transient ischemic attack or TIA) are treated as a low priority, according to a UK audit of services from leading doctors.
The acronym FAST is what the NHS teach people to recognise the signs of a stroke: Face, Arms, Speech, Time.
Today's audit found low public awareness of symptoms combined with poor knowledge among health staff about treatments meant patients were not treated as emergencies.
As a result, thousands wait weeks or sometimes months for an operation that may be of no benefit to them by the time they receive it.