Face, Arms, Speech, Time. If the face has dropped on one side, an arm cannot be raised and held, or speech is slurred or confused, call 999 immediately.
- Face. Ask them to smile. Has the mouth or eye drooped on one side?
- Arms. Ask them to raise both arms and hold them there. Can they?
- Speech. Is it slurred, or are they struggling to find words or understand you?
- Time. If any one of these is present, call 999 at once and note the time symptoms started, which the hospital will ask for.
Other signs: sudden severe headache with no cause, sudden loss of vision, sudden dizziness or loss of balance, sudden numbness on one side.
Symptoms that come and go, or that resolve within minutes, are still an emergency. A transient ischaemic attack is a warning of a full stroke, often within days, and needs urgent assessment.
Stroke treatment options are time-limited and the effective window is measured in hours. Every minute of delay costs brain tissue, which is why the public campaign is built around three signs anybody can check.
This is general information, not medical advice, and it does not replace a GP, a pharmacist or NHS 111. Call 999 in an emergency. Full disclaimer.