The West Yorkshire and Harrogate Integrated Stroke Delivery Network (ISDN) has a Patient and Carer Assurance Group of people affected by stroke. These patients and carers get together regularly to share their experiences and to help shape the future of stroke services.
May is national Stroke Awareness Month and during May 2022 the Partnership ran a campaign to raise awareness of stroke and the impact it can have on sufferers and those close to them. The campaign also promoted the area’s local support groups, and opportunities for people to join the ISDN’s Patient and Carer Assurance Group.
Campaign resources included:
- A stroke survivor’s story. Geoff had a stroke at 37 years of age in 2015. He described himself as ‘pretty healthy’ and did not realise that he’d had a stroke in his sleep.
- New ISDN Patient and Carer Group booklet. Developed to encourage local stroke survivors and carers to join the group and have the opportunity to share their experiences, and to be heard.
Five social media graphics for partners to use across the region.
These graphics were designed to publicise stroke awareness month
and increase awareness of the signs of a stroke via the ACT FAST campaign that urges people to take immediate action when they see
any of the warning signs.- Stroke awareness events page. This dedicated page on the Partnership’s website included case studies, information about the signs and symptoms of stroke, details of local support groups and how people could become a patient or carer representative.
- Stroke awareness blog. Bébhinn Browne, Senior Programme Manager for Long Term Conditions which supports the work of the ISDN, shared a stroke awareness blog which included information about the ISDN and the excellent work that has taken place in stroke services to date. Bébhinn’s blog featured in the Partnership’s weekly bulletin that was shared with 2,000 people across the region and published on the website.
- Media release. The Yorkshire Evening Post picked up on the ISDN’s media release and published the article ‘Health professionals in Leeds advise on important stroke symptoms during Stroke Awareness Month’. The article included quotes from Leeds clinicians who reminded people of the symptoms of stroke and why urgently calling 999 is vital in saving lives.
Every five minutes, someone in the UK will suffer a stroke, with 100,000 people having a stroke every year. We will continue to support Stroke Awareness Month every May by sharing resources that get those important messages across, information that could potentially save lives.