Manx Care and charity Manx Heart Foundation have worked together to create a new role within the former’s ‘heart failure service’.

The service is designed for those people who have impaired heart function, which results in symptoms of breathlessness and fluid retention.

The team is based in the medical outpatients department, situated on the Noble’s Hospital site at Braddan.

Until recently, the Manx Heart Foundation’s support had generally been in the form of hardware, but in the last year and a half, it has focused its resources on the people delivering cardiac services.

Their first venture of this kind was for Manx Care’s Coronary Care Unit (CCU) nurse Erica Bradley, who was supported in completing her postgraduate diploma in cardiology. There are currently two CCU nurses, Juvy Pabellan and Collette Nelson, who are being supported in taking the Society for Cardiological Science & Technology Diploma in ECG interpretation.

The Heart Failure service has had one nurse for the last few years, who was experiencing an ever-increasing caseload. In response to this, the Manx Heart Foundation offered funding for CCU nurse Grace O’Hagan to undertake the postgraduate course in Heart Failure Management in Clinical Practice, at Keele University.

However, it soon became clear that in order to fulfil the clinical aspects of the course, it would be more beneficial for Grace to work within the Heart Failure service, effectively doubling the service provision, and allowing her to become fully qualified in the process.

Therefore, Manx Care and the Manx Heart Foundation have collaborated to create a second position within the service, with a view to improved patient outcomes going forward.

Karen Chiarello, chair of Manx Heart Foundation, said: ‘We are so excited about this new venture. It is very gratifying to be able to provide service improvements by helping the team who deliver these services.’

Joanne Standish, associate director of nursing at Manx Care, said: ‘We’re so pleased to be working with the Manx Heart Foundation on another project, which will benefit not only our patients but also our colleagues. We are really grateful that the charity shares our patient-centred outlook, and are optimistic that this will create a number of service improvements.’