The Canberra Hospital and Calvary Public Hospital have been nationally recognised for their excellence in caring for and treating patients with stroke.
Announced at the 2022 Australian Stroke Coalition Quality Stroke Service Awards, the Canberra Hospital and Calvary Public Hospital were two of 12 hospitals officially honoured across Australia as top-performing hospitals that achieved best-practice stroke clinical care.
Minister for Health Rachel Stephen-Smith said that having both ACT public hospitals nationally recognised for excellence in stroke care was a fantastic achievement and a testament to the hard work and collaboration of ACT public healthcare staff.
"Hundreds of Canberrans are estimated to be impacted by stroke every year, with one in four people experiencing a stroke in their lifetime. We know that getting to hospital and receiving treatment quickly in a dedicated stroke unit provides the best chance of survival, recovery, and helps prevent secondary strokes," Minister Stephen-Smith said.
"To have two hospitals in the ACT be officially awarded for excellence in stroke care, out of only 12 nationwide is something our dedicated stroke teams and the community should be very proud of."
The Canberra Hospital and Calvary Public Hospital both achieved Excellence Awards based on nine quality care indicators for stroke treatment, in line with national stroke guidelines and national Acute Stroke Clinical Care Standards. The Canberra Hospital also received a Merit Award for providing timely endovascular clot retrieval treatments, the highest award for this category.
"It's really pleasing to see the collaboration and teamwork between the two hospitals and the contribution they make to the excellent stroke care across the ACT and surrounding region," Minister Stephen-Smith said.
"The Canberra Hospital's Comprehensive Stroke Service provides highly specialised endovascular thrombectomy and neurosurgery services, with team members on-hand 24/7, and is also the endovascular clot retrieval referral hub for seven hospitals including six in Southern NSW.
"Calvary Public Hospital also provides a dedicated stroke service and 24/7 onsite thrombolysis treatments to those in the community needing urgent stroke treatment.
"Congratulations to both hospitals for this wonderful achievement and the life-saving treatment these stroke unit teams provide every day," Minister Stephen-Smith said.
