This site is intended for UK healthcare professionals
Medscape UK Univadis Logo
Medscape UK Univadis Logo
News

Successful consolidation of heart care services in Northern Ireland

Northern Ireland has witnessed success with concentrating specialist hospital care, particularly cardiac care in centres of excellence.

Two units in Northern Ireland, one at the Royal Victoria and the other at Altnagelvin hospitals are specialised to provide primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). Forty per cent of patients experiencing a myocardial infarction in Northern Ireland are eligible to undergo a PCI. After an ECG assessment, such patients moved only to the two specialised units, often bypassing other hospitals and their Emergency Departments.

The 24-hour primary PCI service in Royal Victoria, Belfast will celebrate its 10th anniversary in December 2019, and also the Altnagelvin service will have its fifth anniversary this year. Figures indicate that the average door-to-balloon time for primary PCI in Northern Ireland is 30 minutes, which is comparable to other regions in the UK.

Richard Pengelly, Permanent Secretary for Department of Health said: "Where appropriate, concentrating certain types of hospital care in regional centres of excellence is in the best interests of patients. When it comes to highly specialised treatments like primary PCI, consolidation of expertise is the right approach."


References


YOU MAY ALSO LIKE