People in Cambridgeshire have been urged to be aware and act fast if they spot the signs of stroke following the news that over 900 emergency calls were made in the county last winter in regards to the condition.

The life-threatening condition is one of the most common 999 calls the region’s ambulance service receives and received 7,757 emergency calls - including 920 in Cambridgeshire - last winter to help patients who had suffered a suspected stroke.

As part of its ‘Wise up for winter’ campaign, the East of England Ambulance Service NHS Trust (EEAST) is reminding people in the East to be aware of the signs.

Area Clinical Lead Dan Phillips, EEAST’s stroke lead, said it is “absolutely fundamental” that 999 is called when one of the symptoms of a stroke is detected.

“The main reason why people do not get rapid access to high quality care is they wait too long to phone 999. The symptoms of stroke come on suddenly and it does not build up for a period of time. If people recognise the symptoms quickly, we can get help for them quickly. They may feel they have a numb arm or slurred speech, but do not feel ill, so do not want to call for an ambulance,” he said.

For more information, visit http://www.nhs.uk/actfast/pages/know-the-signs.aspx

Advice under the Trust’s #winterwise banner can be found at www.eastamb.nhs.uk, on Facebook and on Twitter, and the NHS ‘Stay well this winter’ campaign can be accessed by visiting www.nhs.uk/staywell.

To view a Q&A with the Trust’s stroke lead, visit https://eastenglandamb.wordpress.com/2016/02/04/guest-blog-dan-phillips-talks-about-stroke/.