Stroke care in the Lothians continues to fall short of national targets, with 57.6% of patients receiving the essential inpatient bundle in 2025, according to Public Health Scotland's 2025 Scottish Stroke Improvement Programme. The region recorded 1,462 confirmed strokes, up from 1,447 in 2024.
Charity urges greater focus on stroke care
Chest Heart & Stroke Scotland (CHSS), one of the country's largest health charities, is calling on the Scottish Government to put greater emphasis on essential stroke care over the course of this administration. The charity highlights that performance remains well below the government's 80% target, despite a marginal 1.1% improvement compared with 2024.
The inpatient bundle includes aspirin, access to a stroke unit, brain imaging and swallow screening. It gives patients the best chance of survival in the critical hours after a stroke. Across Scotland, 56.7% of 11,048 stroke patients received the care set by national standards, marking the eighth consecutive year the country has failed to meet the target.
Stroke remains a leading cause of disability
Stroke remains one of the biggest causes of long-term adult disability in Scotland. Joanne Graham, Director of Service Delivery at CHSS, said: “While there has been a small improvement in stroke bundle performance across Lothian, progress remains limited and performance continues to fall well short of the Scottish Government’s target.
“More than 1,400 people experienced a stroke in Lothian last year, highlighting the scale of the challenge. CHSS is already helping stroke survivors across Lothian through our community healthcare model and supported self-management programmes. We look forward to continuing to build on our close local work with NHS Lothian, alongside the Scottish Government, so this support reaches everyone who needs it.”
