Ambulance UK June 2022
Ambulance UK June 2022
Ambulance UK June 2022
Create successful ePaper yourself
Turn your PDF publications into a flip-book with our unique Google optimized e-Paper software.
TESTED<br />
• More than two thirds (67%)<br />
AMBULANCE <strong>UK</strong> - JUNE<br />
ADVANCED<br />
AMBULANCE SEATING<br />
M1 SEATS APPROVED TO LATEST<br />
R44.04 CHILD SEAT STANDARDS<br />
Contact us for further<br />
information and brochures<br />
More than half of<br />
Brits unaware that<br />
stroke is one of the<br />
biggest killers in<br />
the <strong>UK</strong>, according to<br />
Stroke Association<br />
study<br />
More than half of Brits don’t<br />
know that stroke is the fourth<br />
biggest killer in the <strong>UK</strong>,<br />
according to new research by<br />
the Stroke Association 1 . The<br />
charity has released the survey<br />
findings as it calls for vital<br />
support to fund more research<br />
into the devastating condition.<br />
A stroke happens when the<br />
blood supply to part of the brain<br />
is cut off, killing brain cells. The<br />
charity’s latest study asked the<br />
general public to rank health<br />
conditions in order of the leading<br />
causes of death. 51% of people<br />
who ranked stroke placed it<br />
below its actual position as the<br />
fourth biggest killer 2 .<br />
The research also revealed that<br />
almost a fifth of people (18%)<br />
underestimate the impact of<br />
stroke, believing that stroke<br />
ranks lower than its actual<br />
position as the fifth leading<br />
cause of disability (and death<br />
combined) in the <strong>UK</strong> 3 . In fact,<br />
two thirds of people who survive<br />
a stroke find themselves living<br />
with a disability.<br />
There are 1.3 million stroke<br />
survivors living in the <strong>UK</strong>, with<br />
over 50% of all stroke survivors<br />
dependent on others for<br />
everyday activities. However,<br />
the Stroke Association’s survey<br />
also found that people don’t<br />
understand the true long term<br />
damage a stroke can cause:<br />
• More than two-thirds (67%) of<br />
people are unaware that fatigue<br />
is a common hidden effect of<br />
stroke<br />
don’t realise that stroke can<br />
cause depression and anxiety<br />
• Around a third of people (32%)<br />
don’t know that communication<br />
difficulties are common after<br />
stroke<br />
• Almost three quarters of people<br />
(74%) don’t know that stroke<br />
can affect hearing<br />
• Two thirds (66%) are unaware<br />
that stroke survivors can<br />
experience vision problems.<br />
Despite the devastating impact<br />
of stroke, stroke research is<br />
chronically underfunded and<br />
receives far less funding than<br />
other health conditions that have<br />
similar life-long effects. In the <strong>UK</strong><br />
far less is spent per survivor on<br />
research into stroke than research<br />
into any other health condition.<br />
Data shows that annually, only<br />
1.2% of research budgets<br />
(approx. £30m) are spent on<br />
stroke, compared with 14.8%<br />
(approx. £400m) on cancer 4 , while<br />
there are 1.3m people living with<br />
the effects of stroke in the <strong>UK</strong> and<br />
2.5m living with cancer. However,<br />
the survey reveals many Brits<br />
believe more research funding<br />
is spent on stroke than other<br />
conditions including prostate<br />
cancer, dementia and chronic<br />
lower respiratory diseases.<br />
The study also found that almost<br />
half of people (46%) think that<br />
the number of deaths from stroke<br />
has increased in the last 10 years.<br />
However, despite stroke being the<br />
<strong>UK</strong>’s fourth biggest killer, the rate<br />
of deaths has actually decreased<br />
by more than half in the last three<br />
decades thanks in part to life<br />
saving research 5 , demonstrating<br />
the crucial need for continued<br />
investment in stroke research.<br />
Sam Webb, DPhil student at<br />
the University of Oxford, said:<br />
“Problems with memory and<br />
82<br />
For further recruitment vacancies visit: www.ambulanceukonline.com