Cross-border cardiac service saves 27 lives

A cross border cardiology service has enabled 27 patients from County Donegal to receive life-saving treatment.

Those diagnosed with a heart attack will receive lifesaving primary Percutaneous Coronary Invention treatment.

The 24/7 clinical service has the provision to treat up to sixty patients each year.  

It was launched in May 2016 with the co-signing of a cross border Service Level Agreement by the Western Health & Social Care Trust (WHSCT) and Saolta University Health Care Group (Saolta).

The first-of-its-kind cross border service is the result of a review of Cardiology Services in the North West area, completed in 2013 and chaired by Dr Colm Henry, National Clinical Advisor for HSE Acute Hospitals.  

The report recommended patients within 90 minutes of Derry should be referred to Altnagelvin Hospital.

Dr Jim Crowley, Clinical Lead for Saolta said 

“The cross border cardiology service between Saolta and the Western Health and Social Care Trust is working extremely well. Patients from County Donegal who suffer a heart attack receive emergency potentially life-saving coronary intervention treatment at Altnagelvin Hospital”.

Dr Albert McNeill, Clinical Lead for WHSCT commented on the benefits of the service: 

“Receiving this treatment as soon as possible improves patient survival and reduces the long term heart damage caused by heart attacks. The clinical service is a good example of how health care organisations & professionals across jurisdictions can work together for the benefit of patients.”

The 27 patients from County Donegal who received pPCI treatment at Altnagelvin Hospital were successfully treated and transferred after their procedure by ambulance to Letterkenny University Hospital or Sligo University Hospital. 

Saolta Group Chief Executive, Maurice Power stated:

“It’s great to see this cross border patient service up and running. In another joint effort between the Western Trust and the Saolta Group, patients from Donegal now have access to radiotherapy services at Altnagelvin. There are long established working relationships between our services and the Western Health & Social Care Trust and these can be developed further in the future, where there is mutual benefit for each of our populations and services”

Sean Murphy, General Manager of Letterkenny University Hospital said: 

“This service has delivered the appointment of a second cardiologist in LUH who also undertakes sessions in Altnagelvin and participates in their emergency on-call rota. Donegal patients who would have previously been transferred from LUH to Dublin or Galway can now have their procedure in Altnagelvin and are then Transferred back to LUH”.