The Australian Stroke Coalition, incorporating the Stroke Foundation and the Australian and New Zealand Stroke Organisation (ANZSO), founded Australia’s first Stroke Centre Certification program in 2023. This voluntary program helps ensure that all Australians receive evidenced-based, equitable care after a stroke.
About Stroke Unit Certification
Stroke care is complex and requires coordinated, multidisciplinary services across ambulance services, the emergency department, medical imaging and the stroke team. To ensure the provision of the highest quality of care, it is essential all stroke centres undergo external review to ensure they meet the nationally agreed stroke care standards. Without certification, adherence to standards is ungoverned and relies on self-regulation, which is associated with poorer standards of care.
Launched as a pilot project in 2023, the ASC’s Stroke Centre Certification program is now integrated across all Australian states and territories. A list of certified sites can be viewed on this page. The program was the first national certification program to be endorsed by the World Stroke Organisation and is being adapted and aligned for use in New Zealand/Aotearoa.
Currently in Australia, stroke centre certification remains voluntary process that demonstrates a hospital’s commitment to excellence in stroke care. It highlights to administrators and executives that stroke services must be recognised as specialised and be protected. During the certification process, all centres, irrespective of outcome, receive external feedback for service improvement, further improving the provision of care. Certification increases transparency of services for state, federal and private funding agencies, giving them confidence in the quality of care provided in Australian hospitals. In turn, this recognition can positively influence the broader health care system. Further, certification gives the community confidence that they or their relatives are receiving the highest quality of care.
Stroke Centre Certification is recommended as a quality assurance and improvement activity by international and national agencies, including the World Health Organization, the World Stroke Organization and the Australian Government’s National Strategic Action Plan for Heart Disease and Stroke, and it is incorporated in the 30/60/90 National Stroke Targets. Additionally, it is now a recommended action in the 2026 American Heart Association’s Guideline for the Early Management of Patients With Acute Ischemic Stroke (Class of Recommendation 1, Level of Evidence B).
| COR | LOE | Recommendation |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | B-NR | In hospitals caring for patients with AIS, certification as a stroke specialty hospital certified by an external health care credentialing agency that uses national evidence-based standard criteria is recommended. |
Prabhakaran S et al. 2026 Guideline for the Early Management of Patients With Acute Ischemic Stroke: A Guideline From the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association. Stroke. 2026 Jan 26. doi: 10.1161/STR.0000000000000513. (page 17)
Why should your stroke service be certified?
Stroke Centre Certification is a rigorous assessment against comprehensive national standards. Achieving certification signifies the delivery of high-quality, evidence-based stroke care.
Certification can:
- Drive system improvements and support the expansion of service provision and capacity
- Enable services to self-monitor against certification criteria and implement targeted quality improvement initiatives
- Strengthen team cohesion by bringing multidisciplinary teams together around a shared commitment to high-quality stroke care
- Provide an external review of existing systems and processes through the national certification committee
- Deliver a detailed report with recommendations that can support local advocacy and quality improvement efforts
- Provide national recognition through the ASC and Stroke Foundation website and social media platforms
- Support services in meeting the requirements of the National 30/60/90 Targets
- Provide confidence to patients, their families, and the community in the quality of care being delivered
Certification Process
The certification process involves:
- Completing an initial Expression of Interest form
- Completion and submission of an application form
- Provision of supporting documents as required
- An off-line review of the application by two clinical adjudicators and the program coordinator
- An online site review and a virtual walk-through of the site
- Provision of the formal evaluation report, including feedback and recommendations. This feedback can be used to further strengthen service delivery and lobby for additional support and resources as required.
- Adjudication by the Stroke Centre Certification Adjudication Committee
- Award ceremony for sites achieving certification
The Adjudication Committee is chaired by Professor Tim Kleinig and comprises leading stroke clinicians, representatives from peak professional bodies, and state and territory clinical/networks leads from medicine, nursing and allied health disciplines.
The site review is conducted by the allocated adjudicators and program coordinator, in conjunction with key clinicians and executives from the stroke centre – medical and nursing stroke leads, stroke coordinator, multidisciplinary allied health leads and representatives from the hospital executive and emergency department.
Award ceremony – A certificate of certification is provided to all sites achieving either 12-month or 4-year certification. Sites achieving full 4-year certification also receive a certification plaque. These are formally presented to the stroke team and hospital executives. Attendance by the hospital’s media team is encouraged to promote the accomplishment.
Certification Outcomes
| Sites that meet certification criteria | Stroke Centre Certification is awarded for a period of 4 years |
| Sites identified as able to meet the criteria with support | Provisional certification is granted for 12 months. Sites are provided with support to implement key recommendations. Following successful implementation, sites are eligible to undergo review for full certification. |
| Sites identified as unable to meet criteria within 12 months, or who do not pass certification. (This may be identified in the early application stage and may not require full review or payment) | Certification is not granted. Sites are provided with support and guidance to improve required elements. Following successful implementation, sites are eligible to reapply for certification review. |
Constructive and practical feedback is provided to all sites as part of the review process. This feedback is designed to provide guidance on service improvements, as well as act as support for funding or resource requests as needed.
Certification Costs
A cost-recovery charge ($5000 incl GST) applies per site, per application. A tiered fee structure applies for certification reviews and upgrades.
Please click here for more information
Resources
Certified Stroke Centres
| Hospital | Certification Level | Date of Certification | State |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alfred Health | Comprehensive Stroke Centre | Feb-23 | VIC |
| Alice Springs Hospital | Stroke Capable Regional General Hospital | Jul-23 | NT |
| Austin Health | Comprehensive Stroke Centre | Mar-24 | VIC |
| Box Hill Hospital | Primary Stroke Centre | Jul-23 | VIC |
| Canberra Hospital | Comprehensive Stroke Centre | Aug-24 | ACT |
| Echuca Regional Health | Stroke Capable Regional General Hospital | Jun-23 | VIC |
| Flinders Medical Centre | Primary Stroke Centre | Apr-25 | SA |
| Gold Coast University Hospital | Comprehensive Stroke Centre | Jul-23 | QLD |
| Gosford Hospital | Primary Stroke Centre | Mar-24 | NSW |
| Grampians Health Ballarat | Primary Stroke Centre | Dec-25 | VIC |
| Hornsby Ku-ring-gai Hospital | Primary Stroke Centre | Mar-25 | NSW |
| Latrobe Regional Hospital | Primary Stroke Centre | Aug-24 | VIC |
| Launceston General Hospital | Primary Stroke Centre | Expired (as of March 2024) | TAS |
| Logan Hospital | Primary Stroke Centre | May-23 | QLD |
| Maroondah Hospital | Primary Stroke Centre | Mar-26 | VIC |
| Princess Alexandra Hospital | Comprehensive Stroke Centre | Dec-24 | QLD |
| Royal Adelaide Hospital | Comprehensive Stroke Centre | Mar-23 | SA |
| Royal Melbourne Hospital | Comprehensive Stroke Centre | Mar-24 | VIC |
| Royal North Shore Hospital | Comprehensive Stroke Centre | May-24 | NSW |
| Shoalhaven District Memorial Hospital | Stroke Capable Regional General Hospital | Feb-23 | NSW |
| St John of God Midland Public and Private Hospitals | Primary Stroke Centre | Mar-23 | WA |
| Sunshine Coast University Hospital | Primary Stroke Centre | May-24 | QLD |
| Sydney Adventist Hospital | Primary Stroke Centre | May-24 | NSW |
| The Northern Hospital | Primary Stroke Centre | Mar-24 | VIC |
| The Prince Charles Hospital | Primary Stroke Centre | Dec-25 | QLD |
| Toowoomba Hospital | Primary Stroke Centre | Aug-24 | QLD |
| Townsville Hospital | Comprehensive Stroke Centre | Mar-24 | QLD |
| University Hospital Geelong | Primary Stroke Centre | Aug-24 | VIC |
| Wagga Wagga Base Hospital | Primary Stroke Centre | Jul-23 | NSW |
Sites showing as expired may have this listing removed by contacting the Stroke Unit Certification Coordinator at strokeunitcertification@strokefoundation.org.au
Interested in becoming certified?
Fill out an Expression of Interest form or scan the code, and the program coordinator will be in contact.
Contact
For more information on the ASC’s Stroke Centre Certification program, please contact the Stroke Centre Certification Coordinator at strokeunitcertification@strokefoundation.org.au
