Only just over half of stroke patients in the Forth Valley region were supplied with a vital kit ‘bundle’ according to new figures. The 2025 Scottish Stroke Improvement Programme released by Public Health Scotland outlines the adherence of health boards across the country to various measures to do with stroke support and care.
Among those are the number being distributed with the ‘bundles’, which experts have assessed provide patients the best chance of survival in the critical hours after a stroke. It provides vital improvements including aspirin, access to a stroke unit, brain imaging and swallow screening.
51 per cent in Forth Valley
In Forth Valley, 51 per cent of the region’s 642 patients received the bundle, an increase of 11.1 per cent from 39.9 per cent in 2024 but still well short of the Scottish Government’s 80 per cent target. The total number of confirmed strokes in the region increased from 630 in 2024 to 642 in 2025, an increase of 12.
Across Scotland, 56.7 per cent of 11,048 stroke patients received the care set by national standards. It’s the eighth year in a row where the 80 per cent target was not met - with the slippage on that figure prompting a stinging criticism from Scotland’s leading charity supporting stroke survivors and care.
Charity criticism
Joanne Graham, director of service delivery at Chest, Heart and Stroke Scotland, said: “While we welcome the increase in the number of people receiving the inpatient bundle, that figure is still only half of all stroke patients receiving the bundle which is way short of the Scottish Government’s 80 per cent target so there is still a lot of work to be done.
“Unfortunately, this is the eighth straight year that the Scottish Government has failed to hit its own targets for stroke care. They are failing stroke survivors and our NHS colleagues in Forth Valley who are doing the absolute best they can with the inadequate resources they’re currently being given.
“It’s having a potentially devastating impact on outcomes for stroke survivors in the region. We need the Scottish Government to build on today’s marginal progress and continue driving better outcomes for people affected by stroke over the next five years.
“Investing in stroke services, rehabilitation and recovery support can improve quality of life, reduce disability and deliver long-term benefits for both patients and the wider health system.
“We know access to that support, as well as supported self management programmes and community services, can dramatically improve quality of life and help people regain independence.”
Government and NHS response
In response, Public Health Minister Maree Todd said: “We are 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.
“Whilst we have seen an improvement in stroke bundle performance, we know there is more to do, and we will continue to work with individual health boards to drive up standards of stroke care, for example, through funding hyperacute stroke nurses to identify patients earlier in their journey and through the stroke pathway.”
An NHS Forth Valley spokeswoman said: "NHS Forth Valley’s Stroke Service continues to achieve the best thrombolysis performance in Scotland, with patients receiving life-saving clot-busting treatment more quickly than the national average.
Forth Valley is also one of only three NHS Boards in Scotland which saw statistically significant improvements in our overall stroke bundle performance in the latest report.
There have also been improvements in the number of stroke patients being admitted to our stroke unit within one day.
These results reflect the commitment and expertise of multidisciplinary teams delivering stroke care across the organisation. However, we recognise that there is more to do and a range of work is underway to further improve patient outcomes and experience.
This includes work to increase access to dedicated stroke beds, streamline local care and treatment pathways and recruit additional nursing staff."
