The Our Hearts Our Minds Programme for Cardiovascular Health is part of Northern Ireland’s Health Transformation agenda and was launched in April 2019 by Mr. Richard Pengelley, Permanent Secretary for Health.
Designed especially for patients living with cardiovascular disease or at risk of developing same, the programme is based on research carried out in Imperial College, London (see Scientific Evidence here).
The 10 week programme delivered by a nurse-led multidisciplinary team including dieticians, physiotherapists/exercise professionals and psychologists aims to help patients and their families to reduce their risk of heart attack and stroke by
- Becoming physically active
- Eating healthily
- Stopping smoking
- Managing their blood pressure, cholesterol and glucose levels
- Making sure they are on the right medications
- Improving their psychological health
To date 550 patients have had an initial assessment and completion rates of the programme are very high. The programme results demonstrate evidence of healthy lifestyle change (smoking cessation, increased adherence to a healthy diet, reduction in central obesity, increased physical fitness) as well as medical risk factors with the majority achieving their blood pressure, lipid and medicines targets. Patient reported outcomes including quality of life have also improved and patient feedback has also been extremely positive. For a copy of the patient information leaflet click here