Hansard

I am delighted to contribute to the debate, and I commend my colleague Roz McCall for securing time to debate what is an important campaign.

When it comes to stroke, time is of the essence. Being able to quickly detect a stroke can mean the difference between a person’s full recovery and the loss of their life. I am therefore delighted to support and assist with the Bundy family’s BE FAST campaign, which seeks to expand the stroke awareness signs by adding balance and eyes to the list of symptoms.

When Tony Bundy suffered a stroke in 2023, the limitations of the current FAST test system meant that his stroke was not detected until too late. Tragically, that meant that Tony Bundy’s stroke was fatal. The lesson that we can learn from Tony’s tragic passing is that the early detection of a stroke can save lives. It is important that the Government listens to the campaign and ensures that future stroke policy is always based on the most up-to-date evidence.

As the BE FAST campaign highlights, a wealth of evidence needs to be considered. For example, the campaign speaks about research by the Scottish Parliament information centre, which found that the FAST test may miss up to 40 per cent of strokes. The BE FAST test may play an important role in the diagnosis of certain types of stroke.

It is safer for someone to decide to go to A and E and be told that they have not had a stroke than for them to sit at home and dismiss their symptoms until it is too late because those symptoms do not fall into the FAST criteria.

Given the compelling case for BE FAST, I believe that there should be a trial of the criteria in the national health service in Scotland. I look forward to the Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care covering that in his summing up, because the right decisions at the right time are vitally important. Possibly, a single health board could begin to look at a trial. I know that the Government is keen to listen, and that suggestion was discussed when I met the cabinet secretary and the Bundy family. I hope that the Government is now able to take action and work with Public Health Scotland and other health boards to allow a trial of those criteria to be looked at. A trial period in one health board area could allow data to be collated on the benefits of BE FAST. Data is vital in ensuring that we have facilities and information for stakeholders and those who work in the system, and it could be used to make an informed decision about stroke policy across the whole of the NHS.

Regardless of the outcomes of the BE FAST campaign, it is clear that it has already been effective in shining a light on the importance of stroke awareness. I have felt privileged to help the Bundy family in supporting Tony’s memory. That tragic example shows us all the necessity of such awareness. I have no doubt that members from across the chamber will join me in wishing the whole Bundy family well in the future. I urge the Scottish Government to listen to the campaign and to treat it with the seriousness that it deserves, because saving people is what we should be trying to achieve.