For patients experiencing stroke in Sydney’s northern suburbs, help is not only close to home – it’s world-class.
Hornsby Ku-ring-gai Hospital and Royal North Shore Hospital have joined an elite group of 24 hospitals nationwide to receive official Stroke Unit Certification from the Australian Stroke Coalition (ASC), recognising its commitment to delivering the highest standard of stroke care.
“To have not just one, but two accredited stroke units within the same local health district is a major achievement,” said Simon Hill, General Manager of Hornsby Ku-ring-gai Hospital. “It shows the depth of expertise we have and reflects our commitment to delivering the highest standard of stroke care for our community.”
National Certification Reflects Excellence in Stroke Care
Amelia Seeto, Director of Marketing and Communications at the NORTH Foundation, commented on the achievement.
“More than 20 Australians lose their lives to stroke every day. That’s why at the NORTH Foundation, we care deeply about supporting the clinicians and hospitals working to help. We’re incredibly proud of these two hospitals for reaching this milestone and it’s a strong reminder of why community support is so vital – to help advance stroke care and ultimately save lives.”
The certification, a national benchmark for stroke services, sets rigorous standards for hospitals, including dedicated stroke wards, specialist staff, real-time data monitoring, and patient-centred decision making.
For Dr Omar Ahmad, Neurologist and Head of Department at Hornsby Ku-ring-gai Hospital, the recognition is both an endorsement of the team’s work and an opportunity to build on that success.
“It confirms the standard of care we’re providing and shows we’re meeting key national and international targets for stroke treatment,” Dr Ahmad said. “I’m incredibly proud of all the hard work that our neurology team – doctors, nurses and allied health professionals – have done to get us here.”
The hospital began improving its stroke services in 2022 to follow modern treatment methods and make care more accessible for patients. The changes were transformative: the creation of a new stroke unit, improved staffing, advanced neuroimaging, and updated clinical processes. A major breakthrough was the hospital’s ability to provide thrombolysis – clot-busting treatment – on site, removing the need for urgent transfers and reducing delays.
“Every minute matters in stroke care,” Dr Ahmad explained. “Being able to treat patients here, without delay, has led to significantly better outcomes.”
He credits the hospital’s success not just to the upgrades in equipment and infrastructure, but to the strong culture of communication and collaboration across departments.
World-Leading Stroke Services at Royal North Shore Hospital
Royal North Shore Hospital is also leading the way in stroke care in NSW. In May 2024, it was the first tertiary hospital in NSW to achieve accreditation of a comprehensive stroke unit that offers all treatment options to stroke patients. The stroke unit at Royal North Shore Hospital provides tertiary-level stroke care far above benchmarks and national averages. It had been a pioneer of interventional therapy that offers life changing treatment to patient with large vessel occlusion stroke. Thanks to our research collaboration with other tertiary stroke hospitals in Australia, endovascular embolectomy has become standard of care throughout the world for devastating strokes which were previously untreatable.
Endovascular clot retrieval is a highly specialised, minimally invasive technique that can restore blood flow to the brain, accelerating recovery and in some cases, returning patients to full independence which currently is only offered in selected tertiary centres across Australia. A strong research focus, a collaborative approach across different disciplines and craft groups have led to treatment improvements and standard changing approaches to stroke care.
“The interventional neuroradiology (INR) suite at Royal North Shore Hospital is transforming stroke care,” said Alison Zecchin, General Manager of Royal North Shore Hospital.
“This minimally invasive technique can quickly restore blood flow to the brain, improving recovery and often helping patients regain full independence. We’re incredibly proud of our team and the life-changing care they provide.”
In 2022, the NORTH Foundation started to fundraise for the INR with the aim of raising $5 million for a second bespoke suite that is equipped with everything needed to effectively manage and treat stroke patients.
Thanks to the extraordinary clinical expertise at Royal North Shore Hospital, patients have access to world-leading treatment. INR has proven to be a game changer – shortening the time to treatment, reducing long-term disability, and easing the burden on families and health services.
Community Support Drives Stroke Care Improvements
With philanthropy and community support, stroke services at our hospitals will reach even more patients, further improve quality of life and deliver faster, better care when every minute counts.
Donate to the NORTH Foundation today to support innovation and care for stroke patients.
