World Stroke Day 2026

That the Parliament notes that 29 October 2026 marks World Stroke Day; recognises that every stroke changes a life in an instant, often leaving survivors, families and carers facing physical, emotional, psychological and financial consequences; understands that the condition is a medical emergency affecting the brain, requiring urgent specialist treatment; acknowledges that it remains Scotland’s third biggest killer and the leading cause of adult disability, with a stroke reportedly occurring every 49 minutes in Scotland and more than 150,000 stroke survivors across the country living with the lasting effects of the condition; understands with concern that around one in four people who experience a stroke are of working age with up to one in three forced to leave employment as a result; recognises that around 11,000 people in Scotland experienced stroke in 2025, including more than 600 in NHS Forth Valley, which serves residents of Falkirk West; notes the view that to improve Scotland's stroke services, it requires a comprehensive emergency pathway that ensures people with a suspected stroke are taken to the right service, regardless of location, and provided with timely access to thrombolysis that is local to them where clinically appropriate; further notes the view that this requires a 24/7 national thrombectomy service and improved access to specialist post-stroke rehabilitation in order to improve outcomes and quality of life; notes the belief that without these changes, the cost of stroke to Scotland’s health and social care services, which it already considers significant, will continue to rise, and commends the work of Scotland’s stroke clinical community, third sector organisations, including the Stroke Association and Chest Heart & Stroke Scotland, and the campaigning of people with lived experience of stroke, their families and loved ones, including the Bundy family, whose experience, arising from the tragic death of family member, Tony, aged 53 from a Basilar Artery Ischaemic Stroke, has helped inform their calls for action to transform stroke care and recovery services across Scotland.