Stroke Foundation has welcomed the release of the updated Stroke Clinical Care Standard by the Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care, describing it as a vital step towards ensuring every survivor of stroke receives the best evidence-based assessment, management and supports after stroke.
This edition marks the first update to the acute stroke clinical care standard since 2019, and strengthens the focus on rehabilitation, individualised care planning and follow-up care after hospital discharge – recognising that stroke recovery does not end when a person leaves hospital.
Kelvin Hill, Stroke Foundation Executive Director Stroke Programs Research and Innovation, believes that the new Standard is critical in supporting Australian clinicians to provide the evidence-based stroke treatment, to ensure the best possible outcomes for their patients.
”46,000 strokes occur across Australia each year impacting people of all ages. It is great to see this updated Stroke Clinical Care Standard strengthens not only ambulance and early hospital care but places rehabilitation and follow-up as critical to the stroke care journey. This will make a real difference to services delivering care but more importantly assist survivors and families in achieving the best possible life after stroke.”
Stroke Foundation congratulated the Commission and its partners, including the Australian Stroke Coalition and the Australian Stroke Clinical Registry, on the collaborative development of the Standard.
The Foundation is calling on all health services across Australia to embed the updated Standard in practice, so that every survivor of stroke around Australia can access gold-standard stroke care from the ambulance to the hospital and back into the community.
