In a remarkable testament to the power of teamwork, QEII’s Acute Stroke Unit (ASU) has claimed a World Stroke Organisation (WSO) Gold Status Angels Award this February.
Receiving the award for the first time, QEII is one of just seven hospitals enrolled with the Australian Stroke Care Registry (AusCR) – and only the fifth in Queensland to date – to claim gold status, after exceeding key stroke care KPIs* in Q4 of 2024.
The hospital’s extensive list of accolades tells a story of multidisciplinary teamwork and tireless dedication to delivering world-class, patient-centred stroke care.
“We’ve met a lot of the KPIs previously, including reaching over 80 per cent of DSTs (Dysphagia Screening Tests) done within four hours, and ensuring a CT scan is completed within 20 minutes of presentation to ED. The new achievement we’ve reached is administering thrombolysis within 60 minutes. It’s the first time QEII’s reached this target, and we worked really hard to achieve that,” explained Nurse Educator and Stroke Clinical Nurse Consultant (CNC) Jessica Wood.
A/Stroke CNC Evelyn Anino was the first CNC to step into the Stroke CNC role in 2018, a role which didn’t have a name at the time, but came with a commitment to delivering timely, patient-centred care to the QEII community.
Through a concerted team effort, hands-on staff education, and the ongoing support of the medical and executive teams, the Stroke CNC role has evolved to deliver significant improvements to patient outcomes and the standard of care.
“I’ve been at QEII for almost 12 years and can say it’s encouraging to witness the significant improvements in patient care over time, which makes a big impact on their quality of life.”
Jessica took over the role in 2022 and says the true success of the ASU extends beyond the numbers, reflecting a relentless spirit of teamwork and a dedication to improving patients’ lives post-stroke.
“We have to acknowledge the combined efforts of the Stroke Team and the Emergency Department in coming together to ensure our stroke patients receive the care they need to have positive outcomes,” she said.
“It is really special for QEII as well. Yes, we're meeting these targets, and all those numbers do matter, but really, it is making a potential change to the patient's life, and the more we improve in achieving administration of thrombolysis within 60 minutes, the better we do for our patients. That’s why this achievement is so important to us.”
A representative from Angels Initiative attended QEII on 20 February to hand-deliver the award to the team.
Congratulations on this remarkable honour, and thank you for your sustained commitment to excellence stroke care, team!
Background:
*One benefit of participating in the Australian Stroke Clinical Registry is that hospitals are automatically considered each quarter for World Stroke Organization Angels Awards.
In quarter 4 (Oct - Dec) 2024, a record 10 AuSCR hospitals received these awards - a testament to the stroke teams and their commitment to improving stroke care in Australia.
Congratulations to the following hospitals for their prompt data entry and high-quality stroke care:
Gold Award
- Alfred Health
- Central Gippsland Health Service
- Mater
- Queen Elizabeth II Jubilee Hospital
- The Royal Melbourne Hospital
- Townsville Hospital and Health Service
- Barwon Health
Platinum Award
- Canberra Health Services (Canberra Hospital)
Diamond Award
- Austin Health
- Royal Adelaide Hospital