Wicklow Sinn Féin TD John Brady pledged his party’s support for the Irish Heart Foundations campaign to protect the vital level of service that the foundation provides to patients in Wicklow and across the state. There are approx. 18,000 people in Wicklow alone who are affected by a heart condition. Brady called on Minister for Health Stephen Donnelly to ensure that the Foundation received the support it needed to ensure that the services provided by the Irish Heart Foundation are allowed to be continued.
Brady said:
“I was delighted to be able to pledge my support for the incredible work undertaken by the Irish Heart Foundation. The level of work and service which they provide to patients makes an enormous difference in the lives of patients.
The figures in relation to heart disease in this country illustrate just how important a role that the foundations work plays.
Around 600,000 people are affected by heart disease and stroke across the state. Every 7 minutes a heart or stroke patient is discharged from hospital. Every 50 minutes someone is diagnosed with heart failure. Every 90 minutes someone has a stroke. Every 90 minutes someone has a heart attack.
For many people the Irish Heart Foundation is their only access to support services following discharge from hospital. To many they are a lifeline, which help reduce the need for admission to hospitals or nursing homes. Despite this only a fraction of the Foundation’s services are funded by the government.
The services provided by the Irish Heart Foundation in Wicklow include: nurse-led assessments; support calls from trained professionals; emotional and psychological support; cognitive therapy; communication support; peer to peer programmes; social reintegration; a nurse support helpline; family and carer supports; and information, support and resources.
But, without government support the Irish Heart Foundation will not be able to continue to provide the current level of critical service to heart patients which it currently does.
I believe that Minister for Health Stephen Donnelly needs to commit to the provision of additional resources to the Irish Heart Foundation, to allow it to continue to provide the level of service it does to heart patients here in Wicklow and across the state, but to also expand to meet the growing demand from the 600,000 heart patients across the state, including the 18,000 here in Wicklow.”