One in four people would fail to call 999 when witnessing first signs of a stroke, reveal statistics from Public Health England (PHE) as it launches its annual Act FAST campaign.

The research shows that 24 per cent of people would wait to call an ambulance because they wrongly believe that they need to see two or more symptoms of stroke to be sure. Other barriers include fear of embarrassment or acting incorrectly, and feeling that they need permission to act on behalf of others.

Through new films featuring radio DJ Mark Goodier and TV presenter Anna Richardson, the Act FAST campaign encourages people to call 999 immediately when they see any of the main stroke symptoms:

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

Professor Kevin Fenton, PHE’s national director for health and wellbeing, said: “Stroke is one of the leading causes of death in the country, and the faster someone experiencing a stroke gets emergency treatment, the more chance that person has of surviving and avoiding serious disability.”