F.A.S.T Campaign Posted or Updated on 4 Sep 2023

We have launched an updated Act F.A.S.T. campaign as stroke strikes every five minutes in the UK – and can change lives in an instant. Yet the pandemic has seen a significant fall in stroke admissions and 1,413 excess deaths from stroke between 21 March 2020 and 22 January 2021 (7% higher than expected).

The campaign is built around the ‘Act F.A.S.T.’  (Face, Arms, Speech, Time) acronym to emphasise the importance of acting quickly by calling 999:

Face – has their face fallen on one side? Can they smile?
Arms – can they raise both arms and keep them there?
Speech – is their speech slurred?
Time to call 999!