Stroke costs Scotland £265,000 every 48 minutes – more than cost of average Scottish home

Stroke survivors with avoidable disability pay the price of rehabilitation shortfall, warns the Stroke Association

• Stroke currently costs Scotland £2.9 billion a year – £8 million a day – in health, social care, and wider economy
• Over half is on social care - £1.5 billion - as stroke survivors are often left with life-changing mental and physical disabilities due to the brain injury caused by stroke
• Without investment, by 2035 the total cost of stroke to Scotland will increase by nearly 40% to £4 billion a year, which is nearly £11 million a day, as more people survive stroke
  
  

The cost of stroke is set to skyrocket within the next decade as the number of stroke survivors continues to rise, demanding urgent action from the Scottish Government, NHS and care services, finds a new report The Urgent Case for Investing in Stroke ¹from the Stroke Association.

The Stroke Association, the leading stroke support charity in Scotland, found that, for every 48 minutes that it takes for someone in Scotland to have a stroke, the total economic cost of stroke to health, social care services and the Government is more than it costs to buy a house in Scotland today.²

As the Scottish population ages, more people are living with the risk factors of stroke including high blood pressure and diabetes. Whilst the Scottish Government has made progress to increase stroke prevention through the Population Health Framework, this won't prevent how the number of stroke survivors living in Scotland is expected to increase by 42% to just over 222,500 by 2035.

Due to the long-term and complex needs associated with stroke, around half of the cost of stroke falls to social care services – including privately funded care. Stroke is often mistakenly thought of as a one-off medical emergency, yet its effects can last a lifetime. The brain injury caused by stroke can leave survivors having to relearn basics which we take for granted such as being able to walk, talk or swallow. Around a third of stroke survivors also experience depression.

As around 1.9 million brain cells die every minute following the onset of stroke, fast treatment is vital. Thrombectomy is a very effective yet time-sensitive stroke treatment which can hugely reduce the disability a stroke survivor is left with. It can also reduce the amount of rehabilitation a stroke survivor needs to regain skills, independence, and quality of life.

Yet Scotland trails behind the rest of the UK with only 1.9% of patients receiving thrombectomy in 2025 – compared to 4.7% across England, Wales and Northern Ireland – against a target of 10% across the UK.³ This is largely due to how thrombectomy centres in Scotland are only open during restricted hours rather than around the clock.

In addition, assessments for ongoing needs are not being carried out within the timeframes outlined by Scottish Government after a patient arrives at hospital. This includes a swallow screen within four hours, brain imaging within 12 hours, admittance to a stroke unit the same or following day and aspirin for eligible patients on the day. However, in 2025 only 57% of stroke patients in Scotland received this level of care.³

Together, these missed opportunities contribute to how 87% of the NHS and social care costs of stroke incur after the first year - long after a stroke survivor has left hospital - including long-term social care as survivors contend with the ongoing impacts of their stroke.

The total expenditure is for more than solely for treatment and care – the wider societal costs of stroke in Scotland total £750 million. This includes the impact of people unable to work, including survivors and their loved ones who become overnight carers. In addition, fiscal costs, such as welfare payments and reduced income tax from stroke survivors who can’t work, currently totals £265 million.

The Stroke Association is calling on the Scottish Government to treat stroke as a major health, research, social care and economic priority. 24/7 thrombectomy has been promised and the charity now wants this urgently rolled out. Only then will every stroke survivor get the robust treatment and rehabilitation they need to enable them and their loved ones to go on to live fulfilling and independent lives.

Billy Alexander, the Stroke Association’s Associate Director for Scotland, said: “The brain injury caused by stroke changes a person’s life in an instant with far-reaching repercussions for both themselves and their loved ones. It is the leading cause of adult disability, and survivors must get the right intensity and frequency of rehabilitation for as long as they need, alongside emotional support, to make the best possible recovery. This simply isn’t happening so the cost of stroke is extortionate and, as our report illustrates, this is only going to get worse.

“We know stroke professionals work tirelessly to provide the best care that they can, but the Government needs to ensure that every stroke survivor gets the support they need to make a good recovery. For stroke survivors, rehabilitation is not a nice-to-have, it’s fundamental so they have a chance to rebuild their lives, gain independence, return to work, and live well.”

This report follows the broadcast of two-part documentary 'Trauma: My Broken Brain' on Channel 4 produced in partnership with the Stroke Association. It tells the story of three young stroke survivors and the long-term impact of the brain injury they are left with. This is part of the charity's new campaign 'Survival Is Not Enough' which aims to highlight how stroke is both a medical emergency and a lifelong condition with survivors needing robust rehabilitation to recover well.

Graham McGowan from Aberdeenshire was 49 when he had a stroke in 2022. After being blue-lighted to Aberdeen Royal Infirmary that evening in May, he was told he couldn’t get a thrombectomy because it was outside of operating hours. Graham then spent four months in hospital having intensive physiotherapy after the left-hand side of his body was completely paralysed. He even spent his 50th birthday living at the rehabilitation centre.

Graham went from being a skier, trail runner and cyclist to having to relearn how to walk and stand. Graham had a year of occupational therapy in the hope of being able to return to his career as a business consultant. But, due to ongoing mental and physical disabilities, he was unable to do so. He now receives Disability Living Allowance, and his wife, Heather, is his long-term carer. Graham has made a strong recovery and now walks unaided after spending a long time using a wheelchair. But he knows that life could have been very different.

Graham said: “Whilst I don’t want to dwell on the ‘what if’s’, I realise things could have been significantly better for me if I had received thrombectomy. Life is tough now – I can’t live independently, I can’t work, I can’t do the sports I used to love, and my wife’s life has changed so much too so she can care for me.

“The costs associated with stroke, never mind the emotional and physical impact on me, are colossal. It’s a huge list – expenditure for my time and treatment in hospital, rehabilitation in the past, present and future, not contributing to society through taxes or spending money as we have to save more, and prescription medication for the rest of my life. I was living a perfectly full, healthy life and now spend my days trying to rebuild some semblance of that.”

Robert King, Senior Health Economist at LCP Health, who conducted the economic analysis added: “Behind these costs of stroke are people whose lives, independence and wellbeing are significantly affected, as well as families and carers who may provide support over many years.

Whilst not every stroke can be prevented, earlier action to identify and manage risk factors could reduce the number of avoidable cases. This would mean fewer people experiencing potentially life-changing effects, while also easing future pressure on the NHS, social care and the wider economy.”

References

1. The Urgent Case for Investing in Stroke Scotland report can be found here: Scotland_brief.pdf he modelling was commissioned by the Stroke Association and undertaken by Lane Clark and Peacock LLP (LCP). An external advisory group provided oversight throughout the project, bringing together clinical, research, data and economic expertise from across the UK, alongside two people with lived experience of stroke.
2. Registers of Scotland found that the average house price in Scotland was £196,000 in July 2026 UK House Price Index figures for Scotland 2026 - Registers of Scotland
3. Scottish Stroke Care Audit Scottish National Audit Programme (SNAP) - Public Health Scotland and Sentinel Stroke National Audit Programme (SSNAP) covering England, Wales, and Northern Ireland. For more information visit: https://new.strokeaudit.org/