Stroke patients across the Northern Tablelands now have 24-hour access to a telehealth service as part of a $21.7 million initiative being rolled out across the state.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
or signup to continue reading
The NSW Telestroke Service, available at Armidale Hospital, offers people living in regional and rural areas increased access to life-saving stroke diagnosis and treatment, by connecting local emergency doctors to specialist stroke physicians via video consultation in the Emergency Department.
Armidale Hospital is the stroke service for the Armidale and Tablelands region, and receives patients from communities such as Glen Innes, Inverell and Tenterfield.
Tamworth hospital, which boasts two neurologists, Dr James Hughes and Dr Lisa Dark, has already received the new kit. It will serve the community while the local specialists are unavailable, either after hours or while on holiday.
Dr Hughes said the Tamworth hospital sees about 300 to 340 stroke patients every year.
Read also:
Susan Heyman, Hunter New England Local Health District executive director, rural and regional health services, said the transition to the state-wide initiative will assist hospital clinicians care for patients with acute neurological symptoms, and build on the support the hospital receives from the district's network of specialist services.
"This crucial service will provide stroke patients with rapid diagnosis and treatment from the state's expert stroke clinicians, on-call to provide assistance any time of the night or day," Ms Heyman said.
"Telestroke helps our local doctors decide the most appropriate treatment option for each patient. These options include urgent treatment to dissolve a clot on-site in Armidale, or urgent transfer to a specialised stroke centre for more complex treatment where appropriate."
Every year, around 19,000 residents in NSW have a stroke. More than a third of people hospitalised for stroke in NSW are from regional, remote or rural areas.
Armidale Hospital Telestroke Project Officer Greg Flynn said Armidale Hospital assesses and treats more than 120 strokes per year.
"Stroke is a time critical medical emergency that can kill up to 1.9 million brain cells per minute," Mr Flynn said.
"It's really important that people learn to recognise stroke symptoms and call an ambulance immediately, to give stroke patients the best chance of a successful outcome."
The F.A.S.T. test is an easy way to spot the signs of stroke.
FAST stands for:
Face - Has their mouth drooped?
Arms - Can the person lift both arms?
Speech - Is the person's speech slurred? Do they understand you?
Time - Is critical. If you see any of these signs call 000 straight away.
Our journalists work hard to provide local, up-to-date news to the community. This is how you can continue to access our trusted content:
- Bookmark northerndailyleader.com.au
- Make sure you are signed up for our breaking and regular headlines newsletters
- Follow us on Twitter
- Follow us on Instagram
- Follow us on Google News
