In the UK one person every five minutes will suffer a first stroke. Shocking isn't it? Many people just do not realise that stroke is one of the biggest killers and the largest cause of severe disability in the UK. It is essential that improvements in diagnosis, awareness and care are rapidly realised.

In February this year I was elected as the Chairman of the new All Party Parliamentary Group for Stroke. The purpose of this group is to promote greater priority for stroke prevention, treatment, rehabilitation, research and care both nationally and locally. It has received much cross party support so far but still I believe it deserves more attention.

The group will explore through its APPG meetings issues around both the prevention of strokes and treatment of stroke patients in the UK. There is a huge variation of stroke care across the country despite the provision for such services being relatively straightforward and very cost effective. A presentation to the group from Dr A Rudd, FRCP, President Elect of the British Association of Stroke Physicians revealed the frightening statistics from the latest Stroke Audit. The audit shows that only 27 per cent of stroke patients receive at least half their care in a stroke unit and that there is a variation in treatments between regions in the UK. This was only a two per cent increase from the previous audit and if progress continues at this rate, it will be about 70 years before all patients with a stroke receive the care they deserve in a dedicated stroke unit. The Department of Health requires that by April 2004 all general hospitals which care for people with stroke have a specialised stroke service.

Prevention through greater public awareness is, of course, the best treatment. However there are a number of misconceptions that remain in the public consciousness regarding stroke; for example: that stroke only affects older people. Indeed it is more prevalent amongst older people, but it can occur at any age. It devastates the lives of 13,000 people under 55 in the UK each year who have a first stroke. A thousand are aged under 30 and some are just children. So it is not just something people my age have to consider. The Stroke Association is the leading national charity solely concerned with stroke across all age groups. It has supported the establishment of the APPG and provides invaluable, practical help for the group's activities.

The All Party Parliamentary Group aims for there to be a greater number of public awareness campaigns highlighting simple things people can do to reduce their risk of stroke, including eating healthier diets, exercising more, quitting smoking and cutting down on binge drinking. We also want to spread the most important message of all - for people to have their blood pressure checked regularly.

Indeed it is more prevalent amongst older people, but it can occur at any age. It devastates the lives of 13,000 people under 55 in the UK each year who have a first stroke. A thousand are aged under 30 and some are just children

During the group's meetings we have learnt that the burden of stroke on NHS resources is as great as that of coronary heart disease. Yet the profile and service provision for stroke is very much lower. One guest speaker at the APPG, Dr P Rothwell, MRC Senior Clinical Fellow and Reader in Clinical Neurology at the Radcliffe Infirmary in Oxford is currently undertaking the largest population based stroke study in 20 years. It has emerged from this study that current outpatient stroke prevention services are totally inadequate and most patients have their major stroke while still waiting to be seen. The APPG aims to increase the pressure on the Department of Health for improvements to stroke care: 131 MPs have now signed the Stroke Care EDM initiated by the APPG.

We are supporting efforts to enhance the access to specialist stroke services and the provision of appropriate diagnostic services. Targets have been set for stroke care in the National Service Framework for Older People, including more specialist staff. The NHS Plan provides for over 200 more consultants specialising in treating older people. An extra 7,800 nurses and 2,500 therapists and other health professionals will also be involved in the care and support of older people according to the Department of Health. A new emphasis will be given to preventing and treating strokes and speeding up recovery and the NHS plan confirms that rehabilitation services will also be expanded and improved.

As well as working to encourage the improvement of prevention, diagnosis and immediate treatment, the APPG is also concerned with the rehabilitation of victors of strokes. These survivors must be able to participate in a multidisciplinary programme of secondary prevention and rehabilitation. Specialist teams of skilled nurses and therapists must be able to support this. Although there is no cure for stroke, there is good evidence that harmonised and progressive stroke care, where professionals from a variety of disciplines work closely together, saves lives and reduces disability. It is the ambition of the APPG that everyone will have access to such care.

Jim Cunningham is the Labour MP for Coventry South and Chair of the All Party Parliamentary Group for Stroke. The Stroke Awareness Week runs from September 29 - October 5