FOI 25-103 Negative FAST Consequences

Freedom of Information Request

Reference

FOI 25-103 Negative FAST Consequences

Request Date

28 Feb 2025

Response Date

06 Mar 2025

Information Requested

Good Afternoon I wish to make a FOI request. The information I am looking for is: In the last 10 years many Strokes in Scotland have been failed to be identified using the FAST acronym eg those who's symptoms were not identified within the target time? Of those who's Stroke were not diagnosed immediately how many of those patients had a long-term negative impact on their lives and how many went into pass away as a result? 

Response

The Scottish Ambulance Service does not have access to personal medical records of patients and only treat patients with the symptoms presented to them at the time. 

If a patient has tested negative for FAST and is later confirmed to have/had a Stroke, this information would be held within a patient’s health records by the local health board. 

It is for this reason we have applied section 17 of the Freedom of Information Scotland Act 2002 as information not held.