Stroke firm slammed for targeting Conwy pensioners

Aug 14 2008 by Samantha Castle, North Wales Weekly News

A COMPANY offering people in Conwy a pay-as-you-go stroke screening service has dismissed a claim that it is targeting the elderly and vulnerable.

A pensioner contacted by the firm at her Glan Conwy home says some people may not be aware a screening service is available free on the NHS and could believe they have to pay.

The 73-year-old says anyone worried about their health could be scared by the content of material being sent out by American company Life Line Screening.

But Life Line says recipients of its letters are carefully chosen and that it offers “fast, painless, non-invasive ultrasound screening tests” to help detect the often invisible signs of a life-threatening stroke.

The Glan Conwy pensioner, who asks not to be named, is unhappy that she was asked to pay £149 for a service she can get free.

“If these letters are targeting all the elderly people in the area then people need to be warned,” she said. “Not everybody is aware that stroke screening is available for free through the NHS.”

Many people over the age of 50 will have received a letter from Life Line Screening which recommends taking advantage of its screening unit when it visits Mochdre Village Hall on Monday, September 8.

Only last month, Dr Rosemary Leonard, who writes for a Sunday magazine, advised people to save their cash by ignoring similar screening invitations.

She wrote: “While it is true that many people don’t have any specific symptoms before they have a stroke, most do have identifiable risks such as high blood pressure, cholesterol or diabetes. All these can be checked by your GP.”

A spokeswoman for Life Line Screening said it uses mail lists in the public domain and carefully targets those aged 50 and over because they are more likely to have vascular disease.

“We do not seek to scare, but to inform,” she said. “Unfortunately, no matter how carefully we present this information, some may find the facts scary. We are acutely aware that we need to be sensitive.

“The NHS will offer these tests but typically only if the person is symptomatic. We strive to find disease before the person is already sick, has a mini-stroke or serious bone fracture.”

samantha.castle