The health service received the World Stroke Organisation Angels Gold Status award in October for meeting the highest standards in stroke treatment and care.
The Angels Initiative aims to optimise the standard of treatment in stroke centres worldwide and improve patient outcomes by setting global benchmarks for best practice care.
ERH treats about 100 strokes each year, with 202 people from the wider catchment area having experienced a stroke for the first time and more than 3415 people living with the effects of stroke in the area.
“This award recognises the major developments in stroke care at Echuca Regional Health,” ERH executive director of medical services Dr Glenn Howlett said.
“The collaboration between the medical, nursing and allied health stroke team members provides best-practice stroke care to our community.”
Training, protocols, and the performance of the hospital’s stroke unit were assessed as part of the Angels Initiative, which includes a target of restoring blood-flow to the brain to more than half of eligible patients within 60 minutes of their hospital arrival.
ERH stroke co-ordinator Lauren Arthurson said achieving WSO Gold Status was a great honour and testament to a team effort to enhance stroke care in the local area.
“Stroke is a time-critical medical emergency where blood supply to the brain is interrupted or reduced,” she said.
“With each minute that goes by more brain cells can be lost and the risk of disability and death increases.
“Acting swiftly on the signs of stroke and implementing best practice care requires co-ordination between ambulance, emergency department, radiology and stroke unit staff.”
ERH was also among 13 hospitals named as excellence award winners in the 2021 Australian Stroke Coalition Quality Stroke Service Awards, after achieving nine best-practice stroke treatment and care benchmarks.
“Ensuring appropriate patients receive clot-busting therapy within 60 minutes of arriving at the hospital door is the gold standard and means more people will survive and live well after stroke,” Mrs Arthurson said.
“Unfortunately, people living in regional Australia have higher rates of stroke and contend with the challenge of providing access to treatment over significant distances.
“To address this, Echuca Regional Health uses telehealth technology to ensure our patients have access to stroke specialists for time-critical assessment and development of patients’ specific care plans.”
Stroke Foundation chief executive officer Sharon McGowan said it was heartening to see many regional hospitals achieve the excellence award this year.
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