Heartbeat Trust is a charity established in 2004 to support specialist clinical and research services in heart failure and heart failure prevention in Ireland. The Heartbeat Trust’s services are based in St Vincent’s Hospital, Dublin, St Michael’s Hospital, Dun Laoghaire and The Conway Institute, University College Dublin. Heart failure is where the heart does not work as efficiently as it should. This means that the blood can't deliver enough oxygen and nourishment to the body to allow it to work normally. Heart failure is a very common condition and there are about 90,000 people living with heart failure in Ireland today. Up to one in five people is expected to develop heart failure at some point in their life, and the burden of heart failure on individuals, their families and the health service is increasing. The aims of the Heartbeat Trust are to; • Increase public awareness of heart failure • Support an early warning and prevention programme for people diagnosed with heart failure and those at risk of developing heart failure. • Help severe heart failure patients live longer and better with fewer visits to hospital • Help vulnerable heart failure patients manage their condition in the community and in their homes. Providing specialist services to these patients in the community have been show to reduce A&E visits and unnecessary hospital stays by 40% • Build unique collaborations between hospitals, community care, heatlh care professionals and patients for the benefit and ease of patient care • Carry out new basic scientific research into heart failure prevention, causes and care in the Conway Institute, University College Dublin • Develop infrastructure for patients, care providers, researchers, healthcare funders and healthcare technology companies to collaborate and personalise cardiovascular care maximising benefits, reducing risks and prioritising cardiovascular disease prevention
