Annual Report 2023-2024 available

Advancing Tick-Borne Disease Research: Insights & Progress Event 30 April

Help Royal North Shore Hospital Gain FACT Accreditation

Support our pursuit of FACT accreditation at Royal North Shore Hospital—together, we can bring life-saving cellular therapies and stem-cell treatments to thousands of patients.

Beneficiary Royal North Shore Hospital

Active projects at facility 9 Projects

View Facility

40%

Our goal $400,000

Raised $158,458

To go $241,542

FACT Accreditation would impact the lives of thousands, and we need your help to make it happen.

Achieving FACT accreditation means a hospital or healthcare facility can offer life-saving cellular therapies and stem-cell treatments.

The Royal North Shore Hospital (RNSH) aims to revolutionise health outcomes in the Northern Sydney Local Health District (NSLHD) through its pursuit of FACT accreditation. This initiative seeks to introduce cutting-edge treatments and establish higher benchmarks in patient care.

FACT accreditation would also position the NSLHD among the global leaders in modern healthcare, facilitating sophisticated medical research that will benefit both current and future generations.

Male patient with female nurse from apheresis unit at RNSH

What is FACT?

FACT, short for the Foundation for the Accreditation of Cellular Therapies, is a globally recognised medical body that ensures hospitals meet the rigorous standards required for complex procedures like stem cell transplants.

Any hospital that receives accreditation from this body can be instantly recognised as a cutting-edge facility. The accreditation process involves detailed quality checks in hospitals for procedures involving blood and stem cells, from collection to storage and treatment application. Participation in the scheme also means that hospitals will closely monitor the long-term efficacy of their procedures in patients.

Support FACT Accreditation

What FACT Accreditation will help us achieve

Obtaining FACT accreditation represents the commitment of the RNSH to providing hope through novel treatments, including access to CAR-T cell therapy which is currently the cell therapy with the strongest clinical efficacy. This move towards healthcare democratisation ensures the latest medical breakthroughs are accessible to everyone in the community.

Currently, RNSH patients requiring CAR-T cell therapy must be referred to one of the two other hospitals in Sydney currently being FACT accredited, which causes disruption in hospital workflow and treatment pathways which can unnecessarily delay a patient receiving a potentially lifesaving treatment.

Being FACT accredited would mean that patients could undergo their treatment process in a single, familiar setting. This will allow them to build upon the existing trust and rapport with staff throughout their treatment and recovery journey.

SUPPORT FACT ACCREDITATION

Why FACT accreditation so crucial?

Due to the international recognition FACT accreditation offers, patients will be offered therapy and treatment options onsite at RNSH, which currently sees over 100 patients per year for transplants. The hospital itself treats around 1,500 cancer patients a year.

If the RNSH were to achieve FACT accreditation, the positive impact it would have on thousands of patients cannot be overstated.

It would eliminate the need for patient referrals to other hospitals.
It would significantly reduce treatment delays.
It would enable participation in international clinical trials.
It would offer advanced therapy and cancer treatment options.

Download Case for Support

The Haematology and Transfusion Medical team

With a reputation as one of Australia’s busiest stem cell transplant hubs, and with both the Northern Sydney Cancer Centre and laboratories at the Kolling Institute on the campus, the Haematology and Transfusion Medicine Department at RNSH has the necessary infrastructure in place and is ready to step up to the challenge of achieving FACT accreditation.

The expert team at RNSH already carries out critical stem cell procedures using their state-of-the-art infrastructure. Supported by a well-equipped cell collection centre and specialised labs, the team has aspirations of spearheading clinical trials, enabling them to introduce novel therapies in immune cell-based treatments.

Allogeneic transplants (where the patient receives healthy blood-forming cells (stem cells) from a donor to replace their own stem cells)

Autologous transplants (which use healthy blood stem cells from your own body to replace your diseased or damaged bone marrow)

Donor lymphocyte infusions (the transfusion of donor white cells into patients)

Meet some of the Haematology Team

William Stevenson

Ian Kerridge

Nonie Ferrer

Matthew Greenwood

Chris Ward

Johanna Guest

Charlotte in hospital due to Acute Myeloid Leukaemia diagnosis

Message of thanks

“I wouldn’t be here without the team at Royal North Shore Hospital.

With every new advancement there’s one more person that can be helped. The more funding we can get for this department, the more of us can survive and that’s pretty special.”

- Charlotte, grateful patient

Message of thanks

“I want to give people hope.

I also want to nudge potential donors who might be thinking, ‘No, not this time’ to understand how impactful their donations could be, not just for others but, perhaps one day, even for themselves.”

- Mark, grateful patient

Message of thanks

"I’m very proud to be supporting this project.

It will enable the haematology team to get involved in international clinical trials and ultimately save lives – there’s no better feeling than being a part of that."

- Will, grateful patient

You can shape the future of healthcare for all

Give a gift that makes a real difference to our healthcare staff and facilities so they can deliver the best patient care.

Donate

About

Healthcare Facilities

Get Involved

Help Royal North Shore Hospital Gain FACT Accreditation