Scots stroke survivor says NHS treatment must 'catch up'

The Herald Scotland

6 days ago

'My leg completely gave way, and my foot was completely folded over,' he says. 'I immediately felt it might have been a stroke. As I phoned 999 for an ambulance, I felt all the power from my arm drain out and the whole right side of my face went numb.'
Alastair Mair survived a stroke earlier this year. (Image: Supplied)
Mair, who admits he was 'very fortunate', was treated on the scene by paramedics eleven minutes after making the distress call. En route to Borders General Hospital, he suffered a heart attack.
He received an emergency thrombectomy to remove a blood clot from his brain, before being transferred to Edinburgh, where a stent was put in his heart.
'I woke up five days later in the hospital. After complaining of chest pain, I had another balloon stent put into my aortic artery,' he tells me matter of factly.
Now, eight months later, Mair is well on the road to recovery. Working alongside Chest Heart and Stoke Scotland (CHSS), he has begun to advocate for better care for stroke patients across Scotland.
Mair, who was previously in hospital for cardiological issues in 2015 and 2017, praised his experience as 'world class'.
However, he is adamant that stroke care in Scotland needs to catch up.
'Scotland is probably the best palace in the world to have a heart attack right now, our cardiac care is so advanced. That's very fortunate, but we need the stroke guys to catch up. It is a capacity problem.
'Right now, the treatment of stroke could be improved. The NHS isn't able to do enough thrombectomies to deal with blood clots, so they need to be treated with drugs,' he notes.
Mair was taken to hospital after waiting just 11 minutes for an ambulance. (Image: NQ) A thrombectomy, which is a clot removal treatment pioneered in Sweden in the 1990s, can vastly improve outcomes for stroke survivors if it is administered within the recommended timeframe.
This week, the leading Scottish stroke charity has called out the government for failing to provide the service to more patients.
CHSS has said that the treatment saves the NHS an average of £47,000 per patient over a five year span, and 'reduces the likelihood of a stroke survivor living with severe disability.'
However, just 212 operations were carried out in Scotland in 2024 (2.2% of all stroke patients), leaving thousands unable to access the vital surgery.
The service is not offered around the clock, negatively impacting those who are taken to hospital outside of normal working hours.
Mair adds: 'We need health boards to encourage cross jobs involvement. They aren't really working as a team. It would be great to have an on-call 24/7 service, but we don't have the staff right now. There needs to be more job crossing, which is what they do in Europe and in the US.'
Furthermore, he contends that there needs to be a more joined up approach when it comes to treating patients who have begun recovering from operations.
Reflecting on his own experiences in hospital, Mair says:
'Initially they thought the heart attack was caused when the blood clot split in two, and half to the brain and half to the aortic artery. However, when they did the second procedure, they discovered there had been two separate incidents. That was a heart stopping moment.
Mair was in hospital for two weeks, rather than three. (Image: PA) 'Yet, the hospital was full. So I had to go after just two weeks. I think the bed managers have too much power. I should have been in for three weeks, and they didn't check the basics of stroke recovery.
"There was no reference to occupational theory or whether or not my house was suitable.'
According to statistics released by Public Health Scotland on Tuesday, just 52.9% of stroke patients received a vital care 'bundle' whilst in hospital, far below the NHS target of 80%.
The bundle includes aspirin, access to a stroke unit, brain imaging, and a swallow screening.
Mair adds: 'This sort of thing lets the health service down. I was out on the Friday, and back on the Sunday after developing complications.'
Information is key, especially in cases where strokes do not fit the typical FAST pattern (Face drooping, Arm weakness, Speech difficulties, and Time to call 999).
Read more:
Scottish Government fails to meet stroke care benchmark - for 7th year in a row
No ScotGov timetable for 24/7 stroke treatment access as deaths hit eight year high
Why has treatment for strokes in Scotland become an issue?
Mair continues: 'We need more public information. My stroke didn't follow FACTS.
"The BBC should be bending themselves over backwards to get this information out, just like they did when it came to safe driving. It is frightening if you are in hospital for the first time.'
While his post-stroke symptoms have included occasional fatigue and nerve sensitivity, Mair tells me that he has been able to continue driving and leading an 'active life'.
And now, given a second chance at life, Mair has vowed to continue advocating for stroke patients and working to build a more robust health system.