Two New South Wales hospitals are among seven hospitals in Australia that have been officially recognised for their excellence in caring for and treating patients with stroke.
Announced at the Asia Pacific Stroke Conference in Adelaide, the hospitals proudly accepted an Australian Stroke Coalition Quality Stroke Service Excellence Award.
The awards recognised hospitals that achieved best-practice stroke clinical care across several indicators, including treatment with thrombolysis within 60 minutes of hospital arrival, the provision of stroke unit care, and the provision of a discharge care plan.
The top performing hospitals recognised were:
• Lismore Base Hospital
• Royal Melbourne Hospital
• Box Hill Hospital
• Sunshine Hospital
• Northern Hospital
• Central Gippsland Health Service
• Blacktown Hospital
Australian Stroke Coalition Co-Chair, Professor Tim Kleinig, congratulated the winning hospitals.
"It's inspiring to see these hospitals and their staff dedicated to providing the best possible care and treatment for survivors of stroke to ensure they're in the best position to recover well," Professor Kleinig said.
Stroke Foundation CEO, Dr Lisa Murphy, says the winning hospitals are leading the way in treatment and care.
"This is an exceptional achievement that should be celebrated and used as the benchmark for others to work towards in future. These hospitals demonstrate the impact of multidisciplinary teams working together to improve outcomes for patients with stroke."
In 2023, more than 45,700 Australians had a stroke (including 34,793 for the first time) and there are more than 440,000 people living with the effects of stroke in the community.
Dr Murphy says receiving specialist treatment is critical to stroke recovery and gives survivors the best chance of living well after stroke and returning to doing the things they love.
"We know that patients with stroke who get to hospital quickly and receive timely treatment will have the best chance of survival, recovery and prevention of secondary stroke."
