A stroke can have a major effect on your movement and speech. Our experts can treat certain types of stroke with a treatment called thrombolysis, which breaks up the clot causing the blockage of blood to the brain. We need to give this treatment within a very short space of time from the person actually having the stroke.
If you suspect someone is having a stroke you should ring 999 straightaway.
We offer this treatment 24 hours a day, seven days a week at the University Hospital of North Tees for patients across the whole of the Tees Valley and beyond.
Our speech and language therapy, physiotherapy and occupational therapy teams will provide care early in the treatment to give people the best chance of recovery. Our nurses and psychologists provide relaxation and improving sleep programmes, which we know help patients to recover.
Our team of specialists run clinics seven days a week to see people who have experienced signs that they are at risk of having a stroke (a transient ischaemic attack (TIA) or mini stroke) and have signs of weakness which only last a short time. We will give you advice about how you can help yourself and what you can do to reduce the risk of having a stroke.
FAST (face, arms and speech test)
We want you to be able to recognise when someone you know is having a stroke. Acting quickly can make a big difference to the successful treatment and recovery for your loved ones.
Face
The face may have dropped on one side, the person may not be able to smile or their mouth or eye may have dropped.
Arms
The person with suspected stroke may not be able to lift one or both arms and keep them there because of arm weakness or numbness.
Speech
Their speech may be slurred or garbled, or the person may not be able to talk at all despite appearing to be awake.
Time
It is time to dial 999 immediately if you see any of these signs or symptoms.
Visiting times
You can visit your loved ones from 2:30pm to 4pm and 6:30pm to 8pm
