A new project to improve stroke rehabilitation in Australia has been awarded a Clinical Themes Initiative Seed Funding Grant by the Australian Cardiovascular Alliance.

Led by Professor Natasha Lannin, the project will develop a national call to action to address key gaps in stroke rehabilitation policy, clinical practice, and funding. The work builds on the recent State of Stroke Rehabilitation in Australia report — a landmark assessment conducted by the ACvA Stroke Clinical Theme earlier this year at the request of the World Health Organization (WHO), using the WHO STARS (Stroke Rehabilitation Assessment of Systems) framework.

"Our healthcare in Australia is second-to-none," says Professor Lannin. "And our researchers are paving the way. Australian clinical trials guide clinical practice guidelines globally in stroke rehabilitation. Yet as a country, we still don’t have basic data on how many rehabilitation beds are occupied by stroke survivors on any given day."

The new project will take the strengths and critical gaps identified in the WHO STARS report and translate them into a prioritised, national framework for action.

“We have so many strengths — and yet so many gaps,” Professor Lannin adds. “The next step is to focus on the gaps outlined in the report and develop clear priorities from our sector to drive system-level change.”

Stroke is one of the leading causes of long-term disability in Australia, and access to timely, high-quality rehabilitation can significantly improve outcomes and reduce the economic burden on the healthcare system.

“Rehabilitation is not a cost — it’s an investment,” Professor Lannin emphasises. “If we get it right, we save the country billions of dollars. The long-term costs we associate with stroke survivors come largely from problems that could be prevented through effective, early rehabilitation.”

The ACvA launched its Clinical Themes Initiative Seed Funding Grant to support innovative, implementation-focused projects that move beyond research into real-world impact. This project represents a major step forward in developing coordinated, national solutions to stroke rehabilitation.

“This collaborative stroke rehabilitation project demonstrates ACvA's vital role in focusing the sector to prioritise research and funding where they're most needed to improve patient care and outcomes,” says Professor Jason Kovacic, ACvA Board President. 

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