Moree District Hospital has been selected as one of 15 health services nationwide to receive a major funding boost, helping its stroke unit deliver faster treatment and better outcomes for patients.

The hospital will receive up to $90,000 from the Australian Stroke Alliance for a stroke co-ordinator.

This new position will co-ordinate teams, boost evidence-based practices and educate staff and patients.

Stroke Foundation chief executive officer, Dr Lisa Murphy, said the role will go a long way to further improve patient outcomes.

“This is an exciting and crucial addition to the Moree District Hospital stroke team, enhancing its capacity to deliver time-critical stroke treatments like clot retrieval procedures and the administration of clot-busting drugs,” Dr Murphy said.

“There is no doubt this will save lives and reduce stroke-related disability.”

The funding boost is part of the National 30/60/90 Stroke Targets – a united effort from stroke leaders across the country to ensure Australians receive faster, world-class stroke care when every minute matters.

Around 46,000 Australians of all ages experience a stroke every year.

International best practice is to deliver clot-busting treatment within 60 minutes of hospital arrival. While 68 per cent of patients meet this target in the United States and 61 per cent in the United Kingdom, Australia lags at just 32 per cent.

“The longer stroke is left untreated, the more brain tissue is irreparably damaged, reducing the chances of survival or recovery,” Dr Murphy said.

“Australian stroke patients deserve better and this funding, along with the other work of the National Stroke Targets team, is going to deliver that.”

The 30/60/90 National Stroke Targets include national median endovascular clot retrieval door-to-puncture time under 30 minutes for transfers; national median thrombolysis door-to-needle time under 60 minutes; national median door in door out time for endovascular clot retrieval  under 60 minutes; national median endovascular clot retrieval door-to-puncture time under 90 minutes for primary presenters; and certified stroke unit care provided to more than 90 per cent of patients with primary stroke diagnosis.

“This is an exciting step towards achieving the stroke targets and supporting stroke teams to provide best-practice, time-critical stroke care for their patients, to reduce avoidable stroke-related deaths and disability in Australia,” Dr Murphy said.

National Stroke targets are a partnership with the Australian Stroke Alliance with support from the Australian Government.