Heart health: A life saving focus

The British Heart Foundation (BHF) is the largest independent funder of heart and circulatory disease research in Northern Ireland. Formed over 60 years ago, the leading heart charity has revolutionised the treatment and care of heart and circulatory disease. Its ground-breaking research has saved countless lives and the charity continues to fight for the 225,000 people living here with heart or circulatory conditions such as coronary heart disease, heart failure, and stroke. Head of British Heart Foundation Northern Ireland, Fearghal McKinney, tells agendaNi about the progress the charity is making in heart health and why its life-saving research is more vital than ever.

We have come a long way since the BHF began over 60 years ago. In the 1960s, more than seven out of 10 heart attacks in the UK were fatal. Today, over seven in 10 people survive. This is tremendous progress, but our work is far from over.

In Northern Ireland, despite all the good progress, around 225,000 people are living with heart and circulatory disease.

These conditions are responsible for nearly a quarter of all deaths here, tragically claiming an average of 11 lives every single day.

And alarmingly, more people under the age of 75 are now dying from these diseases than at any time in the last 14 years. This is a wake-up call that means we must act now, to continue that vital research journey.

Pioneer of emergency medicine

Innovation and determination were the focus of one remarkable story that highlights the lifesaving impact of BHF research. Professor Frank Pantridge and his team, who were modestly funded by the BHF in Belfast in the 1960s, revolutionised emergency care worldwide.

He developed the first portable defibrillator, a device that has since saved countless lives. His legacy is a testament to the power of research – and to the vital role your support plays in funding it.

Today, thanks to our supporters’ generosity, we are funding pioneering research at Queen’s University Belfast into conditions like heart failure and heart attack recovery.

Recently, we brought together researchers from Queen’s and Ulster University with our new Chief Scientific and Medical Officer, Professor Bryan Williams, to chart an exciting new direction for research here in Northern Ireland.

Urgency

But our research is needed now more than ever. Earlier this year, we launched a campaign on the urgency of tackling sudden cardiac death. Twelve poignant murals were created across the UK by the BHF to highlight the tragic reality that 12 young people under the age of 35 are lost every week to sudden cardiac death in the UK.

One of these striking artworks was unveiled on Linenhall Street, Belfast and depicted popular barman and electrician Joseph Burns, who suffered a sudden cardiac arrest at his parents’ home 10 years ago in July 2014.

“BHF continues to work every day on tackling health inequalities within cardiovascular care.”

Too many lives, like Joseph’s, are being taken too soon by sudden cardiac death. No one should have to experience the sudden loss of their child, sibling, or parent, but sadly that is the cruel reality of heart disease – it does not discriminate.

The BHF is already carrying out groundbreaking research, to treat and prevent the causes of sudden cardiac death.

BHF researcher, Kathryn McGurk, whose family hail from Northern Ireland, is one of a team of scientists working to develop a cure for inherited heart muscle diseases which affect around 8,000 people here.

BHF’s £30 million CureHeart programme – the most ambitious research grant in the BHF’s history – aims to develop the first cures for inherited heart muscle diseases.

BHF can only invest in transformational research like this thanks to the generosity of our loyal supporters – so it is vital we have continued and increased support if we are to keep backing lifesaving research like CureHeart – but there is still more to do.

CPR training

Our efforts also extend beyond research. We successfully campaigned for CPR training to become a mandatory part of the school curriculum here and worked with the Department of Education and the Northern Ireland Ambulance Service to make that happen.

Every year, we distribute 28,000 heart health resources across Northern Ireland, and our life-saving tool RevivR, offers free CPR training in just 15 minutes – available to anyone, anywhere, with just a cushion and a phone.
We are also working closely with sports teams, community groups, schools and businesses to expand this lifesaving training. Earlier this year, during Heart Month, we teamed up with the Northern Ireland Football League to train football clubs in CPR, and we have plans to work with many other organisations in the coming year.

Influencing for patients

Our influencing work over the last number of years has helped deliver significant change, most recently in the area of organ donation legislation. As of June 2023, all adults in Northern Ireland are considered potential organ donors unless they choose to opt out or are in an excluded group. The Organ and Tissue Donation (Deemed Consent) legislation, known as ‘Dáithí’s Law’ in honour of young Dáithí Mac Gabhann, changed the way consent is granted and follows similar law changes in Wales, England, and Scotland.

Over the past year we have been working with the NI Agri-Rural Health Forum and Farm Families Health Checks team to drive work on blood pressure awareness amongst the farming community. This culminated in an event we held at the Balmoral Show with attendance from the health and agriculture ministers as well as many agri-rural stakeholders. We continue to work with this important community in Northern Ireland through driving awareness of lifesaving skills.

Our ambition in influencing government and the health system is to achieve the best outcomes for patients. We are working with the cardiology network and leading cardiologists and heart nurses to, amongst other things, prevent heart disease by targeting blood pressure and cholesterol, improve treatment and care for those with heart failure, and increase opportunities so everyone can take part in cardiac rehabilitation.

The Circuit

Critical to the survival journey is the defibrillator but knowing where to find one in an emergency can be the difference between life and death. That is why we developed The Circuit in partnership with the Association of Ambulance Chief Executives, Resuscitation Council UK, St John Ambulance, and NHS England.

The Circuit is the national defibrillator network that maps defibrillators across the UK. This system allows ambulance services to direct bystanders to the nearest defibrillator, potentially saving lives in those critical moments.

“Lifesaving research is more vital now than ever and your support in that ambition is vital too.”

But there is still work to be done. We have registered over 98,000 defibrillators on The Circuit, and more than 3,500 in Northern Ireland, but we know there are many more out there that remain unregistered. In the coming months, we will be campaigning to reach 100,000 defibrillator registrations, ensuring that more lives can be saved in emergencies.

Tackling inequalities

BHF continues to work every day on tackling health inequalities within cardiovascular care. Our focus has been on primary care with blood pressure and cholesterol checks as well as women’s health.

We recently launched our Bias and Biology: The Heart Attack Gender Gap report timed to coincide with development of a women’s health action plan by the Department of Health to highlight that there can be no consideration of any health without considering heart health as a vital component.

This is the first BHF report into women’s heart attack outcomes in Northern Ireland that addresses socio-economic differences and makes recommendations across themes of awareness, diagnosis and treatment.

Collaboration

Non-communicable diseases (NCDs) such as heart disease, cancer, stroke, diabetes, lung disease, and liver disease are some of the leading causes of death and disability.

In fact, research commissioned by BHF Northern Ireland in 2023, estimates the overall annual cost to society of smoking, alcohol consumption and obesity in Northern Ireland is around £1.9 billion – equivalent to 4.5 per cent of the Northern Ireland economy.

NCDs place a huge burden on society and our health and social care system. They also disproportionately affect the most deprived in our communities, contributing to health inequalities. 

Many of these deaths and lost years of healthy life could be prevented through public health action to address NCD risk factors. Investing in population-wide action to reduce rates of smoking, harmful alcohol consumption, and overweight and obesity is also important for the longer-term resilience of our health service and the wider economy.

As Chair of the NI NCD Alliance, BHF NI is working alongside a number of key stakeholders to help prevent heart and circulatory disease and other NCDs by campaigning for urgent, population-level action to reduce rates of smoking, harmful alcohol consumption, and overweight and obesity.

Strategic approach to heart disease

Heart and circulatory diseases cause nearly a quarter (24 per cent) of all deaths in Northern Ireland but there is a gap in the strategic direction to addressing cardiovascular conditions. The previous service framework for cardiovascular health and wellbeing expired in 2017. Despite the prevalence of heart and circulatory disease in Northern Ireland, there has been no updated strategic approach for improvement of the care of patients with heart and circulatory disease.

At the end of last year BHF NI brought together over 150 local staff, patients, and leading voices in heart and circulatory diseases from across UK, Ireland and Europe, to shine a spotlight on heart disease within Northern Ireland and the need for a renewed strategic approach.

The audience was made up of clinicians, some stakeholders and officials as well as a panel of MLAs. We had a range of high-profile speakers including Professor Rafael Bengoa, alongside international speakers from the European Society of Cardiology, Scotland, Ireland and England.

Our health and policy teams are working to identify gaps in services and map out a range of actions and interventions that are practical and cost effective that can form the core of a heart disease campaign.

We will aim to support and enhance the cardiac network, produce recommendations to reduce the Northern Ireland postcode lottery of services, reduce demand on stretched services, improve life expectancy and reduce the burden on care.

At a national level, BHF is calling on the new UK Government to make a meaningful difference to the lives of people affected by heart disease by committing to bold co-ordinated action on three fronts; better prevention of heart disease and stroke by addressing drivers like obesity and smoking, prioritisation of heart care and supercharging research to unlock future treatments and cures.

Invaluable support

None of what we do would be possible without public support – all our income comes from the public, whether it be face to face fundraising events organised by our local fundraisers, charity partnerships, contributions from wealthy donors, or those who think of us kindly in their wills.

And we also have seven shops across Northern Ireland where we sell clothing, jewellery, books, games and much more, donated to us by the public.

We recently held a supporter event at Belfast City Hall, with over 100 of our amazing supporters in attendance. It offered the opportunity to connect and share stories on the lifesaving work the BHF does in heart and circulatory research and strengthen our collective commitment.

Many of the wonderful families we work with closely were in attendance as well as new supporters who we are excited to get to know better. 

Our supporters’ contributions whether through fundraising, volunteering, or simply by spreading awareness, have made the British Heart Foundation the largest independent funder of heart and circulatory disease research in Northern Ireland.

Lifesaving research is more vital now than ever and your support in that ambition is vital too.

Contact BHF NI

Órla Copeland, Fundraising Manager
T: 07714 069129
E: copelando@bhf.org.uk

Liam Duggan, Policy and Public Affairs Manager
T: 07974 901087
E: dugganl@bhf.org.uk

Karen McCammon, Health Service Engagement Lead
T: 028 9002 3545
E: mccammonka@bhf.org.uk