Heart service boost to improve care, charity says

The Manx Heart Foundation has funded training to increase the service

A staffing boost to services that help people suffering with heart problems should improve care and ease waiting lists, a charity has said.

The Manx Heart Foundation has funded the provision of a second specialist to work at Noble's Hospital.

It said the service had so far been run by one heart failure nurse who faced an "increasing caseload".

Charity chairman Karen Chiarello said there were hundreds of people on the Isle of Man waiting for the type of care provided.

Ms Chiarello said the doubling up of the service would "hopefully ease the load" and "give a better quality of service to the patients", while shortening waiting list times.

'Critical service'

Ms Chiarello said one nurse should have a maximum of 150 patients "on the books", according to healthcare guidelines.

But the numbers on the island were in excess of 300, something which had grown following the pandemic, she said.

Covid had "had a huge impact" and more people were "presenting with these problems", Ms Chiarello said.

The foundation said it had funded a second nurse position for 2024 with an apprenticeship model of clinical training that would be carried out on the job.

The new nurse would be fully trained by the summer.

Ms Chiarello said is was a "critical service" because if some milder issues were not addressed early people could end up developing more severe conditions.

She said it aimed to be the first step in developing the charity's remit on the island, which aimed to expand into rehabilitation and recovery elements of care.

Ms Chiarello said: "The heart is your engine.

"Our goal is to help the people who help people."