THE OPALS programme is not the first innovative and wide-reaching initiative to have been lost from the SWAH, with a preventative cardiology service also now no longer available at the Enniskillen hospital.
A Freedom of Information request by Save Our Acute Services (SOAS), which was returned last week, revealed the much-praised ‘Our Hearts Our Minds’ service was removed from SWAH after its funding ended.
Set up in 2010 by internationally renowned consultant cardiologist Dr Susan Connolly – who has since left the Trust – the pioneering programme was aimed at preventing serious health conditions before they developed.
When she established the programme, Dr Connolly was adamant local people in Fermanagh would benefit as much as those living in Derry or Omagh.
“You can be sure that the people in Fermanagh will get as much of this service as they need,” Dr Connolly told the ‘Herald at the time.
The Trust has stated that while the Our Hearts Our Minds programmed was “no longer active” after its departmental funding ended, “cardiac rehabilitation services continue to be delivered to cardiac patients.”
“The cardiac rehabilitation service is based on best practice in line with the region and aims to provide the patient and family with the skills and knowledge to self-manage, facilitate recovery both physically and psychologically and educate to reduce the risk of further cardiovascular events, as well as achieving an absolute risk reduction in cardiovascular deaths,” said a Trust spokesman.
However, a SOAS spokesman noted, “They talk about rehabilitation, but the point of Our Hearts Our Minds is to prevent it before you have a heart attack.
“It supported patients by preventing heart attacks and strokes by supporting lifestyle changes.”
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