Chest Heart & Stroke Scotland statement on Public Health Scotland’s Scottish Stroke Statistics 28 January 2025 Jane Claire Judson, Chief Executive of Chest Heart & Stroke Scotland, said: “While the number of people dying from cerebrovascular diseases has decreased slightly there are warnings in this report that we must take notice of. “Our population is ageing, and the number of strokes is forecast to increase as a result. The Burden of Disease report predicts that cerebrovascular disease will increase by 35% from 2019 to 2044, equivalent to an extra 37,000 people. “Stroke is the leading cause of disability in Scotland and the quality of care is essential to recovery. With the number of stokes forecast to increase, we need to heed the warnings from this report and prioritise better funding for stroke care. Last year only half (51.3%) of the 10,803 Scots who had a stroke received the care defined by national standards which aim to ensure the best chance of survival and recovery. “CHSS is calling for – at an absolute minimum – stroke care funding to increase in line with inflation in this upcoming budget. That is the minimum requirement. Anything less than that will only see stroke care in Scotland fall further behind. Any slight improvements achieved over the past decade will be overtaken by the challenges facing the future of stroke care. Improved funding will get stroke care back on the radar after years of being overlooked. “There is also a worrying trend when it comes to demographics of those people having a stroke with those in the most deprived areas 62 per cent more likely to have a stroke than someone of the same age living in the least deprived areas. “CHSS has launched Health Hubs in some of those communities which provide access to health checks, information about the management and prevention of chest, heart and stroke conditions and Long Covid, as well as access to exercise classes. Providing a hub for people to come together and get access to the support they need can make a significant difference to people’s lives.” Anyone looking for support and advice on managing a stroke condition can contact the Chest Heart & Stroke Scotland Advice Line on 8080 801 0899 or adviceline@chss.org.uk View the most recent PHS stroke statistics here