We have worked with our charity’s service users, supporters and governance board to develop our Cardiac Manifesto, “Time for Heart Health Action”. We have presented the manifesto to politicians, policy makers, physicians and the press to highlight the burden of cardiac illness in Northern Ireland, but more importantly, to call for the introduction of health policies and changes in legislation that will lead to improvements in the care and treatment of these illnesses.
Northern Ireland has been without a Services Framework for Heart Health since 2007.
The reality is, that despite its existence, we should accept that none of the targets laid out in this past Cardiovascular Health Strategy document were ever achieved. This is completely unacceptable. NICHS is calling for the development of a Northern Ireland Cardiovascular Disease (CVD) Strategy to improve, protect and promote cardiovascular health and services in NI. We need a clear plan and resources to address CVD which continues to affect the lives of thousands of people and is one of the largest causes of death and disability in Northern Ireland. It is very worrying that premature CVD death rates in Northern Ireland are projected to increase for the first time in the last 60 years. We need to act now.
NICHS and our cardiac community want to see reforms across a number of areas to improve heart health for the people of NI. These are:
- A Plan for Cardiovascular Health in Northern Ireland
- Investment in and Development of the Cardiac Healthcare Workforce
- More Support for Heart Failure
- Community Rehabilitation for Recovery
- Preventing Population Heart Problems
- Closing the Health Inequality Gap
- Early Detection and Treatment
- Faster Access to Treatment
