San certified for quality of stroke care

Sydney Adventist Hospital has joined an elite list of healthcare providers to receive official certification from the Australian Stroke Coalition (ASC).

Only 19 hospitals' stroke units have met the ASC's national criteria to deliver the best possible care to patients since certification began in February 2023.

New South Wales' largest private hospital, also known as the San, was among the latest to join the list in May 2024.

"We are delighted by this acknowledgement of the excellent quality of care our team provide for stroke patients," Adventist HealthCare CEO Brett Goods said.

"The San is blessed to have a dedicated healthcare team who are instrumental in providing time-critical, care-enhancing outcomes for patients in their moments of greatest need."

Strokes are a life-threatening condition, usually caused when the brain's blood supply has been blocked, causing cells to die due to a lack of oxygen.

The ASC Stroke Unit Certification Program requirements include caring for all stroke patients on a single dedicated ward, providing specialist staffing, regular training, data monitoring and improvement, and patient involvement in decision-making.

Research shows certification programs improve the quality of stroke care and patient outcomes, according to Kelvin Hill, the Stroke Foundation charity's National Manager, Stroke Treatment.

"Treatment on a dedicated stroke unit is proven to make the biggest overall difference of any intervention to patient outcomes following stroke, reducing the risks of both death and disability," he added.

Mr Goods said the San's extensive team of neurologists, neurology and neurosurgery registrars, neurophysiology technicians, neuropsychologists and neurosurgeons was one of the largest of any private hospital in the state.

"Additionally, our Stroke CNC (clinical nurse consultant), nursing and allied health professionals play pivotal roles in the stroke care we provide by following standardised stroke clinical pathways to ensure patients receive timely treatment," he said.

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