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Toowoomba Hospital’s Geriatric, Adult Rehabilitation and Stroke Service (GARSS) has received an international accolade in recognition of the treatment it provides to stroke patients.
It’s the first time the hospital has received the prestigious World Stroke Organization (WSO) Angels Gold Award – joining five other Queensland hospitals to have received the Gold Status award.
The Angels initiative, a partnership between the World Stroke Organization, European Stroke Organisation and Boehringer Ingelheim, aims to optimise the standard of treatment in stroke centres worldwide and improve patient outcomes by setting global benchmarks for best practice stroke care.
Darling Downs Health Service Chief Executive Annette Scott PSM said the award highlights to the community the capability of hospital and clinical staff in responding to stroke cases and provides confidence that should someone suffer a stroke, they will have fast access to life-saving treatments.
She said the accolade was a testament to the hard work of the staff at GARSS, led by Clinical Director Dr Nishal Gange.
“Dr Gange and his team have done an amazing job ensuring stroke patients receive the best possible care,”
Darling Downs Health Chief Executive Annette Scott PSM
Dr Gange said the award was also thanks to the hard work of staff from across Toowoomba Hospital, including the emergency department, radiology and cardiology.
“We work in very close collaboration with our colleagues across the hospital. It’s like a small family which has really helped our patients,” Dr Gange said.
To achieve WSO Gold status a hospital must demonstrate a range of outcomes, including optimum time to treatment, coordinated care as well as appropriate scans and screening.
WSO representative Robert Hopkinson said he was pleased to see the high level of care being provided to stroke patients.
“Seeing the significant improvements like what's happened here in Toowoomba is a real bonus,” Mr Hopkinson said.
“Currently, Toowoomba is the second-best hospital for stroke care in Queensland behind Princess Alexandra Hospital.”
Dr Gange said while people could be reassured about the quality of stroke treatment services in Toowoomba, it was important people recognise signs of a medical stroke emergency.
“Every minute we wait, millions of neurons die during a stroke, so every second counts,” he said.
People should be aware of the acronym FAST to identify early warning signs of stroke:
- F - Facial weakness
- A - Arm or leg weakness
- S - Speech difficulty
- T - Time to act fast
Queensland hospitals with Gold Status
- Sunshine Coast University Hospital
- Gold Coast University Hospital
- Mater Hospital Brisbane
- Townsville University Hospital
- Queen Elizabeth II Jubilee Hospital
- Toowoomba Hospital