Róisín Shortall
Question:1098. Deputy Róisín Shortall asked the Minister for Health if the findings of the Herity report are used by his Department in determining cardiac care policy in the south east of Ireland. [44286/24]
View answerTuesday, 5 November 2024
Questions (1098)
Written answers
Cardiovascular Disease (CVD) is complex, incorporates many disease conditions, including heart disease and stroke. Cardiovascular disease accounts for a significant percentage of all deaths despite the many improvements in the management of risk factors. People are living longer and healthier lives however the number of CVD cases is increasing due to an ageing population and rising obesity levels. Thanks to continued investment in cardiovascular health Ireland has seen a decline in the number of deaths from CVD. Since 2012, the mortality rate from heart disease has been reduced by 38%, mortality from stroke has been reduced by 48%. However, CVD remains a significant challenge claiming 9,000 lives annually.
Ireland has had two National Cardiovascular Strategies, Changing Cardiovascular Health 2010-2019 which built on the first national cardiovascular health strategy, and Building Healthier Hearts in 1999.The reorganisation of cardiovascular care was promoted in the 2010 national cardiovascular strategy which proposed the centralisation of services to maximise access, expertise and population coverage.
The Independent Clinical Review of Provision of a Second Cardiac Catheterisation Laboratory at University Hospital Waterford (Herity 2016) reviewed the provision of emergency primary Percutaneous Coronary Intervention (pPCI) services in the South East. In 2018, the National Review of Cardiac Services (NRCS) arose from a general concern to optimise the care of patients with CVD, and concerns about the timeliness of acute heart attack care in different regions of the country and noted the findings of the Herity Report (2016). One of the guiding principles for the NRCS was to strive to ensure services that can deliver clinical outcomes on a par with international standards. The 2016, Herity Report made several recommendations which included a recommendation that the operating hours of the existing cardiac catheterisation lab at University Hospital Waterford (UHW) should be extended.
Government is committed to progressing cardiac services at UHW and has invested significantly in providing the resources required to support the delivery of enhanced and extended cardiac services. In September 2022, the opening hours for the first catheterisation laboratory were extended to 8am – 8pm Monday to Friday (excluding bank holidays). A second catheterisation laboratory opened on 4th of September 2023 and operates 5 days per week Monday to Friday, 8am-6pm. 24 WTEs were provided to open the second catheterisation laboratory. The HSE has advised that the draft Pay Number Strategy for 2024 includes provision for appropriate staffing to complement existing services and to extend the opening hours of one catheterisation laboratory at UHW to a 7 day, 8am – 8pm service. Permission has been granted to recruit a specific cohort of staff from the initial tranche of New Developments WTE for 2024 and it is now an operational issue for the HSE to do so.
In Budget 2025, €2m will be allocated to progress cardiovascular services, and will prioritise the development of identified key areas which includes a cardiac disease registry, securing additional staff and progressing the NRCS recommendations once published. The NRCS is finalised, Minister Donnelly has considered it and will present the Review to Government for further consideration at the earliest opportunity.