Menu
Subscribe to Holyrood updates

Newsletter sign-up

Subscribe

Follow us

Scotland’s fortnightly political & current affairs magazine

Subscribe

Subscribe to Holyrood
by Louise Wilson
12 August 2025
Ministers have ‘failed stroke survivors’ after missing target for seventh year

Many stroke patients are not receiving the care to which they are entitled | Sipa Press

Ministers have ‘failed stroke survivors’ after missing target for seventh year

The Scottish Government has failed stroke victims, a leading health charity has said after fresh figures showed stroke care targets had been missed for the seventh year in a row.

Statistics published by Public Health Scotland, as part of its Scottish Stroke Care Audit, revealed only 52.9 per cent of patients had received an inpatient bundle – care that includes aspirin, access to a stroke unit, brain imaging and swallow screening.

The Scottish Government’s target is to have 80 per cent of people receiving the bundle.

Almost half of all Scots who had a stroke last year did not get access to a standard of treatment deemed necessary for their care.

Further, the audit also found only 212 thrombectomy procedures were delivered in 2024, just 2.2 per cent of eligible patients – well below the target of ten per cent.

Chest, Heart and Stroke Scotland has hit out at ministers following the publication of the audit.

Chief executive Allan Cowie said: “This is the seventh straight year that the Scottish Government has failed to hit its own targets for stroke care.

“This government has failed stroke survivors and is failing our NHS colleagues who are doing the absolute best they can with the inadequate resources they’re currently being given.”

The charity is urging the government to make “vast improvements” to stroke care, including the consistent delivery of a national thrombectomy service.

It says Scotland fares poorly in comparison to other similar-size nations – most notably Ireland, where 10.8 per cent of eligible patients received a thrombectomy procedure.

Cowie continued: “While we recognise the financial constraints facing the government, the continued underinvestment in stroke care is resulting in significantly higher long-term costs – both through prolonged hospital stays and the extensive support required for individuals living with stroke-related disabilities.

“This ongoing shortfall is not only economically unsustainable but is also costing lives. Immediate action is imperative.”

Public health minister Jenni Minto pointed to some improvements in stroke care in the last year, including the growth of thrombectomy procedures, but she accepted there was “more to do”.

She said: “We're focused on ensuring people who have had a stroke receive the best possible care as quickly as possible to enable them to live longer, healthier and more independent lives. We will continue to work with health boards to drive up standards of local care.

“We know there is more to do but it is pleasing to see a rise in the number of patients receiving thrombectomy treatment. We will continue work towards increasing access to these procedures.”

Scottish Labour deputy leader Jackie Baillie said the figures were “disgraceful”, while Scottish Tory health spokesperson Sandesh Gulhane said it highlighted the “abysmal failure” of the government to get to grips with the NHS post-Covid.

Baillie added: “The reality is that John Swinney and the SNP have no meaningful plan, no strategy, and no ideas to save our NHS. And in a week where Nicola Sturgeon has been doing the media rounds promoting her memoirs, it is damning of her legacy that Scotland’s health service is in such a dire state.”

Gulhane said: “John Swinney and Neil Gray love to boast about their record, but the truth is we are going backwards because of their sheer incompetence.”

Holyrood Newsletters

Holyrood provides comprehensive coverage of Scottish politics, offering award-winning reporting and analysis: Subscribe

Tags

NHS

Categories

Health

Get award-winning journalism delivered straight to your inbox

Get award-winning journalism delivered straight to your inbox

Subscribe

Popular reads
Back to top