This work informs the way stroke care is delivered and provides the latest evidence based information for health professionals caring for stroke.

In some instances the work is related to health policy and informs the development and change to health systems. In others instances the National Stroke Foundation develops resources for health professionals which support the delivery of best practice stroke care, including national stroke guidelines and national stroke audits.

Acute Stroke Services Framework 2011

The Acute Stroke Services Framework was developed to guide the establishment of appropriate stroke services to support the delivery of best practice care as outlined by the Clinical Guidelines for Stroke Management. This document sets standards for acute stroke services and care and in so doing, aims to improve the quality of services and care in Australia. 

To download the Acute Stroke Services Framework 2011 please click here. (457KB) 

National Stroke Audit Acute Services 2011

Clinical Audit Report 2011

The National Stroke Audit Acute Services Clinical Audit Report 2011 provides an overview of the quality of acute stroke care in Australia using data from the Acute Services Clinical Audit.  It forms the second part of the National Stroke Audit 2011 and provides a measure of adherence to important aspects of care recommended in the Clinical Guidelines for Stroke Management 2010.

In 2011, a total of 3,548 patient medical records were audited by clinicians from 108 hospitals across Australia.  These hospitals provided care for the majority of stroke cases (88%) reported to be admitted by the 188 hospitals participating in the National Stroke Audit 2011.

The treatment of stroke patients remains inadequate, with processes known to save lives from death and disability not used in enough cases.

Clinical Audit Report
Audit Report Media Release

Organisational Survey Report 2011

The National Stroke Audit Acute Services Organisational Survey Report 2011, conducted by the National Stroke Foundation is the only program of its kind in Australia.

The report provides an overview of acute stroke services in Australia. It makes several important recommendations on stroke care based on data collected from 188 participating hospitals that reported almost 26,000 stroke admissions in 2010.

The report highlights that poor access to life-saving stroke care and treatment is causing avoidable death and disability in Australia.

Organisational Survey Report
Organisational Survey Report Summary
Media Release

Click here to view Audit Reports from previous years.

Australian Stroke Coalition (ASC) 

The ASC was recently established by the National Stroke Foundation and Stroke Society of Australasia - 11 July, 2008. The Coalition brings together representatives from groups and organisations working in the stroke field, such as clinical networks and professional associations/colleges. This group will work together to tackle agreed priorities to improve stroke care, reduce duplication amongst groups and strengthen the voice for stroke care at a national and state level.  Find out more

Absolute Cardiovascular Disease Risk

The Guidelines for the assessment of absolute cardiovascular disease risk are now available. This is the first Australian guideline developed to support health professionals in the assessment of absolute cardiovascular risk.

Developed by the National Vascular Disease Prevention Alliance (NVDPA), the guidelines make recommendations for assessing absolute CVD risk in adults aged 45-74 years (35 years and above for Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander adults). The guidelines are approved by the National Health and Medical Research Council.

Click here to access the Guidelines and associated publications. The Australian Absolute Cardiovascular Disease (CVD) Risk Calculator is based on recommendations in the Guidelines. Click here to access the online calculator (this link will take you to an external website).

Clinical Guidelines for Stroke and TIA Management 

The general practitioner (GP) is in a unique position to assist in the primary prevention of stroke and TIA, provide advice on early assessment of suspected stroke.This document aims to provide GPs with a summary of relevant clinical guidelines for the management of stroke and TIA from two national guidelines approved by the National Health and Medical Council (NHMRC): the Clinical Guidelines for Acute Stroke Management and the Clinical Guidelines for Stroke Rehabilitation and Recovery.

There is a concise and full version available. 

A new program, StrokeLink has also been developed to link best practice care (guidelines) with current evidence (audit data) to support improvements in the quality of stroke care delivery. Find out more about StrokeLink.