First Aid
Stroke: signs and what to do
How to recognise a stroke and why every minute before hospital matters.
Call 108Ambulance
Because clot-busting treatment only works within a few hours of the first symptom.
Do this now
- 01Check three things, fast. Face: ask them to smile — does one side droop? Arms: ask them to raise both — does one drift down? Speech: ask them to repeat a sentence — is it slurred?
- 02If any one of those is wrong, ring 108 immediately.
- 03Note the exact time symptoms started, or the last time they were definitely normal. The hospital will ask, and treatment eligibility depends on it.
- 04Lie them down with the head and shoulders slightly raised.
- 05Give nothing to eat or drink — swallowing is often affected and they can choke.
- 06Go to a hospital with a CT scanner and a stroke unit. Ring ahead.
Do not
- Do not wait to see if it improves. Time lost is brain lost.
- Do not give aspirin. A stroke may be a bleed, and aspirin makes a bleed worse. This is the opposite of the heart-attack advice, and the difference matters.
- Do not give food, water or medicine by mouth.
- Do not let them sleep it off.
What to tell the operator
- That you suspect a stroke
- The exact time symptoms started, or when they were last normal
- Which of face, arm or speech is affected
- Their age and whether they take blood thinners
Find help near you
See the nearest places with distance, whether they are open, a phone number and directions.
What this page cannot tell you
- Whether it is a clot or a bleed — only a CT scan can, and the treatments are opposite
- Symptoms that ease off can still be a stroke warning and still need the same urgency