Sydney Local Health District has been recognised globally.

Sydney Local Health District has been recognised as an Antithrombotic Centre of Excellence by the Anticoagulation Forum, the global network dedicated to improving the outcomes of patients taking anti-blood-clotting medications.

In July, the District became the first site in NSW with this recognition and only the fifth in Australia. The acknowledgement is assurance that District clinical services align with international evidence-based standards and demonstrate commitment to high-quality care.  

Concord Repatriation General Hospital pharmacist Julianne Chong headed the call for recognition and has a passion for reducing anticoagulant-related harms for patients and expanding capabilities in medication safety across the hospital and District.

“Our antithrombic care team at Concord is made up of haematologists, senior nurses and specialist pharmacists. We have team meetings regularly and are in constant communication to manage patients on the wards,” she said.  

The team won the hospital’s Team of the Quarter award in 2025 and is leading the way in antithrombotic care for the District. The service was the first of its kind in the state, and only the second in the country.

“We focus on the prevention of venous thromboembolism or VTE” Julianne said.  

“It is a serious medical condition where a blood clot forms inside a deep vein. VTE is a very common hospital-acquired complication but it is also avoidable with the right education and support for clinicians.

“We are actively involved in reducing errors and complications related to anti-blood clotting medications.”

Julianne and Associate Professor Vivien Chen, Concord Hospital Haematologist, are co-founders of the Anticoagulation Stewardship Network under the Thrombosis and Haemostatis Society of Australia and New Zealand (THANZ). The network gives clinicians from a range of disciplines a chance to connect and discuss advances in antithrombotic care.  

Vivien said that through collaboration with Alfred Health in Victoria, the national group helps keep discussions front of mind.  

“We believe that more districts should be involved, so that together we can collaborate on improvement initiatives and help patients navigate the right use of medications and receive appropriate care,” she said.

Following her Winston Churchill Memorial Trust Fellowship in 2023, Julianne is also completing her PHD from the University of Sydney on antithrombotic stewardship services in hospitals.  

“My experience through the Churchill Fellowship really assisted putting Concord Hospital and the District on the map,” she said.

“I developed a lot of contacts from overseas, so when I started my PHD I was able to connect with those colleagues for research collaboration. I was also able to look at their anticoagulation practices and bring those learnings back home.”

In a similar approach, she says that the Anticoagulation Forum recognition will help District clinicians with networking  

“It puts us in touch with other hospitals around the world that are also working at a high level in this space. We can only go up from here.”