Ed,
Stroke Foundation is excited to partner with the New South Wales (NSW)
Governments to revolutionise emergency stroke care for people in the state’s
rural and regional areas.
Funding for the $21.7 million Centralised Stroke Telehealth Service and
treatment pathway to country hospitals was confirmed in the NSW State Budget.
The joint State and Federal Government three-year investment builds on a pilot
project underway on the mid north coast, which utilises telehealth technology
to connect patients in regional areas to city-based neurologists.
A telehealth service right across our state and will make a real difference to
the lives of patients and their families by removing barriers to time-critical
stroke treatment that saves lives.
The more rapidly a patient accesses treatment after stroke, the fewer brain
cells die and the better the chance of a positive outcome.
Currently, regional Australians are 19 percent more likely to experience stroke
than people in our cities. They are also more likely to die or be left with a
serious disability as a result of stroke because of limited access to
best-practice treatment and care.
The NSW Centralised Stroke Telehealth Service will connect a neurologist to the
patient remotely, speeding up diagnosis and supporting regional clinicians to
administer blood clot dissolving treatment or to transfer the patient to a
comprehensive stroke centre for blood clot removal.
Investment in telehealth will ensure people in country NSW receive high-quality
healthcare for stroke and are given the best opportunity to live well.
New South Wales is home to 12 of the country’s top 20 hot spots for stroke –
with 10 located in regional areas of the state.
Too many lives are currently being devastated by stroke, but it does not need
to be this way.
The mid north coast pilot has delivered promising outcomes for patients at Port
Macquarie and Coffs Harbour Hospitals and we look forward to expanding its
reach.
The service will also decrease the burden of stroke on the health system and
economy.
Rhian Paton-Kelly
New South Wales State Manager
Stroke Foundation