Three Victorian hospitals have been officially recognised for their excellence in caring for and treating patients with stroke.
Announced at the Joint Annual Scientific Meeting of the Stroke Society of Australasia and Smart Strokes Conference in Melbourne, 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:
- Royal Melbourne Hospital
- West Gippsland Hospital
- Alfred 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, she said"
It is estimated more than 27,400 Australians every year will have a stroke for the first time and there are almost 450,000 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 are treated in dedicated stroke units will have the best chance of survival, recovery and prevention of secondary stroke."
