| WSO Stroke Team: Netcare Greenacres Hospital recently received its second consecutive Gold Status Award from the World Stroke Organization’s Angels Initiative. Pictured from left to right are speech therapist Magwaddah Brown, Dr Errol Visser, Dr Keenan Hudson, stroke programme coordinator and high care unit manager Sr Barbara Venter, trauma registered nurse Charlin Kock, Angels Initiative consultant Maxeen Murugan-Thevar, and radiologist Philma Oosthuizen. |
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Netcare Greenacres Hospital was recently honoured with its second consecutive World Stroke Organization (WSO) Angels Initiative Gold Status Award, recognising the facility’s alignment with international protocols in emergency stroke care.
“A stroke can happen at any time, with potentially serious consequences. There is a chance to minimise neurological damage and preserve function, especially when the signs of stroke are recognised promptly and treated as a medical emergency in accordance with best practice in stroke management,” says Sr Barbara Venter, stroke programme coordinator and high care unit manager at Netcare Greenacres Hospital.
Receiving appropriate evidence-based stroke care within the first hours following the onset of a stroke can make the difference between a person’s life being saved and suffering long-term injury.
The Angels Initiative aims to build a global community of stroke centres and hospitals that use consistent quality measures to continually improve treatment in the immediate aftermath of stroke, thereby achieving better outcomes and quality of life for patients.
“Through contributing to the RES-Q international quality of stroke care registry, Netcare Greenacres Hospital was identified and recognised as one of the high performing hospitals which have consistently recorded and provided data to aid research and help identify areas for improvement in the treatment of acute stroke worldwide,” explains Maxeen Murugan-Thevar, Angels Initiative consultant for KwaZulu-Natal and the Eastern Cape.
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Netcare Greenacres Hospital’s general manager, Reon van Rensburg, congratulated the doctors and nurses of the emergency department and the multidisciplinary stroke care team for their hard work and commitment, which underpinned this achievement.
“Gold Status recognition of world-class acute stroke care is an asset to our hospital and the communities we serve. We are grateful for the expertise and teamwork at the core of the systems that support the best possible chance of survival and optimal recovery after a stroke,” he concludes.
| WSO Angels Gold: The WSO Angels Gold Status Award recognises world-class acute stroke care at Netcare Greenacres Hospital, and its contribution to international stroke care data. |
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SIDEBAR: BE FAST and know the signs of stroke
Sr Barbara Venter, Netcare Greenacres Hospital stroke programme coordinator, says public awareness of the signs of stroke is vital to achieving better outcomes through early medical intervention.
“BE FAST is a simple way to remember how to recognise a stroke emergency,” Sr Venter says.
B is for Balance: difficulty maintaining balance
E is for Eyes: changes in vision
F is for Face drooping
A is for Arm weakness
S is for Speech: difficulty talking
T is for Time to get medical help immediately – every second counts.
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Ends.
Notes to editors
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Issued by: MNA on behalf of Netcare Greenacres Hospital
For media enquiries Martina Nicholson, Meggan Saville, Estene Lotriet-Vorster,
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