Professor Brendan McAdam:

The uptake rate of cardiac rehabilitation for people who would benefit from it is approximately 60%. In fact, women are underrepresented in attendance at cardiac rehabilitation for a variety of psycho-social reasons; because they are older, more frail or they have other comorbidities. With cardiac rehabilitation, we know that people will improve, stay out of hospital and stay well, with a reduced risk of cardiovascular death and myocardial infarction or heart attack, as Dr. Smyth said. However, the waiting list can be from three months to a year, depending on whether a patient is post stent, post bypass or post valve surgery. There are regional variations in the provision of those services around the country. For example, one cardiac rehabilitation unit has no physiologist or medical director. It is very hard to provide the multidisciplinary approach we know works to all patients around the country. Disparity of access is a huge issue.