Stroke charity warns patients should not self-transport to hospital despite ambulance delays

Long waits for ambulances have prompted more stroke patients to make their own way to hospital, but the Stroke Association cautioned that self-transport can reduce the chance of timely specialist treatment and recovery.

New analysis from the Stroke Association, drawing on the Sentinel Stroke National Audit Programme, found that 26.8% of stroke patients — about 23,491 people in 2024/25 — reported arranging their own transport to hospital, the highest proportion since the audit began. The charity said a stroke patient made their own way to A&E every 22 minutes across England, Wales and Northern Ireland last year, up from 19.4% in 2020/21.

The Stroke Association warned that arriving by ambulance increases the likelihood of being taken to a specialist stroke centre, receiving pre-notified assessments and fast-tracked brain scans, and accessing time-critical treatments such as clot-removal procedures (thrombectomy). Those pathways can reduce death and long-term disability by minimising the time brain tissue is deprived of blood, the charity said.

"Stroke is a medical emergency so anyone who is experiencing symptoms should call 999 and wait for an ambulance," said Professor Deb Lowe, medical director of the Stroke Association. "Even with the undeniable pressures the NHS is experiencing, we stand firm on that advice as it is the best way to get rapid and evidence-based care."

Paramedics can identify hospitals with stroke services and request scans or specialist input before arrival, which the charity said often leads to direct admission to acute stroke units — settings shown to improve survival and recovery. The charity also highlighted emerging tools such as prehospital video triage, which can support diagnosis en route to a specialist unit.

The increase in self-transport occurred amid public concern about ambulance response times. The Stroke Association noted that in July the average ambulance response time for category 2 calls, which include suspected strokes, was 28 minutes and 40 seconds — within the current 30-minute target. Ambulance handover times, the period a patient waits in an ambulance before being taken into hospital, have been above the 15-minute target but have fallen in recent months, the charity said.

Clinical experts have repeatedly emphasised that some stroke treatments are only effective within narrow windows after symptoms begin. Delay in reaching appropriate care can limit treatment options and worsen outcomes, leaving survivors with permanent impairments affecting mobility, speech, sight or swallowing.

The Stroke Association said it understands why some people are reluctant to wait for an ambulance, but warned that making their own way to hospital can mean missing the coordinated prehospital systems that prioritise stroke patients. Professor Lowe added that the UK’s ageing population will increase stroke demand, warning that the annual number of strokes could rise by 50% to about 151,000 by 2035, making rapid, organised care ever more important.

The charity and audit data underline a trend of rising self-transport and call for continued efforts to ensure rapid ambulance response, reduce handover delays at hospitals and maintain public messaging about stroke symptoms and the importance of calling emergency services. The NHS’s FAST campaign — which highlights facial drooping, arm weakness and slurred speech as common stroke signs — remains the cornerstone of public advice, the Stroke Association said.