Declan Breathnach (Louth, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

It is almost 20 years since the Building Healthier Hearts cardiovascular strategy was adopted by the Department of Health to deliver a standard of care to patients of cardiovascular disease in terms of both prevention and treatment. The strategy clearly states that every hospital treating heart disease should provide cardiac rehabilitation, which was one of the six strands of care identified to manage the significant burden of heart disease in Ireland. It is vital that we follow evidence-based models of care and the standard of cardiac rehabilitation currently delivered is a gold standard. However, in light of the new model being considered by the advisory group, I suggest there is a real need for cardiovascular services to be delivered not just in a community setting but through people who have strong knowledge of the situation. Patient safety is always our top priority and cardiac patients who complete hospital-based cardiac rehabilitation after a cardiac event live longer, feel better and have greatly reduced need for acute care.

I will take the Minister at his word but I believe it is very important he meets the professionals who are delivering the service because they are not satisfied that moving into the community will not affect the outcomes.

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