Stroke Unit Certification Program

Access to a dedicated hospital stroke unit makes the biggest overall difference to outcomes in patients who present with stroke. A stroke unit is a facility in which medical, nursing and allied health professionals with expertise in stroke provide coordinated care in a geographically co-located environment.

With stroke unit care a powerful intervention to improve stroke outcomes, stroke unit certification is recommended by the World Health Organization, the World Stroke Organization and the Australian Government’s National Strategic Action Plan for Heart Disease and Stroke, as a quality assurance and improvement activity.

The Australian Stroke Coalition (ASC), co-chaired by Stroke Foundation and the Australia and New Zealand Stroke Organisation, developed a voluntary system for certification of acute stroke units that commenced with Australian sites as a 12-month pilot program in July 2022.

For more information or to register interest, please visit ASC Stroke Unit Certification Project.