- The new Queensland Telestroke service will support about two million Queenslanders in regional and rural areas
- Hervey Bay Hospital has been named as the first pilot site with the service to be rolled out at additional hospitals across the state from 2025
- The Miles Labor Government has employed 770 frontline health workers across the Wide Bay HHS, with another 102 to be employed this year.
More than 5,000 Queenslanders experience a stroke for the first time each year, and Queenslanders living in regional Queensland are 17 per cent more likely to experience a stroke than their metropolitan counterparts.
That is why the Queensland Government is investing $5.8 million each year to develop the Queensland Telestroke Service to ensure people in rural and regional areas have the same access to stroke specialists as metropolitan communities.
The telestroke service will allow time-critical, specialist assessment, diagnosis, and effective treatment for stroke patients.
Doctors and nurses at Hervey Bay Hospital are undergoing education and training in care for patients with stroke ahead of the service going live in the coming weeks.
Ensuring stroke patients can be treated quickly can improve a patient's quality of life and reduces the risk of long-term disability.
It will also accelerate access to highly effective stroke therapies, such as clot dissolving drugs or clot retrieval procedures, which require access to a stroke specialist.
Additional hospitals will be added to the service from 2025 as training is done at each site.
The development of the Queensland Telestroke service aligns Queensland with Telestroke models across Australia and opens the opportunity for research collaboration promoting ease of access to acute stroke treatment for those in rural and regional Queensland.
As stated by the Minister for Health Shannon Fentiman:
"We know Queenslanders living in rural and regional areas are 17 per cent more likely to experience a stroke than those in metro areas.
"That's why we're launching a new Queensland Telestroke Service to ensure stroke patients can receive time-critical diagnosis and treatment when they need it.
"This is about supporting our local health heroes to continue doing their incredible work, helping their local communities every day.
"The Miles Government remains committed to improving access to our worldclass health system for Queenslanders, no matter where they live.
"We've employed 770 frontline health workers across the Wide Bay HHS, with a fully funded plan to hire another 102 this year."
As stated by the Minister for Seniors and Disability Services Charis Mullen:
"Across the country, around 50,000 people experience a stroke each year, with two thirds over the age of 65.
"It's so important that when Queenslanders suffer stroke, they can get access to rapid treatment to ensure the best health outcomes possible.
"Importantly, we know that if patients can receive effective stroke therapies and treatment, it can vastly reduce the risk of long-term disability."
As stated by Member for Hervey Bay Adrian Tantari:
"This is fantastic news for our Hervey Bay community and will mean our expert health workers at our local hospital will be skilled up to provide even more care for stroke patients.
"Being able to receive fast, specialist assessment, diagnosis and effective treatment for stroke will be a huge benefit for locals on the Fraser Coast.
"I'm proud to be delivering new and expanded health services in Hervey Bay.
"All of this is at risk in October. The last time the LNP were in government, 345 health workers in Wide Bay HHS were sacked, including 120 nurses.
"The LNP cannot be trusted with healthcare in Hervey Bay."
As stated by WBHHS Executive Director of Fraser Coast Ciaran McSherry:
"The introduction of the telestroke service is a game-changer for our community.
"By accelerating access to life-saving treatments like clot-dissolving drugs and clot retrieval procedures, we are giving Fraser Coast stroke patients the best chance at a full recovery.
"Our hard-working local teams at Hervey Bay Hospital are committed to providing high standards of care, and we are proud to be the first pilot site for this exciting initiative."
