Northern Ireland Chest Heart and Stroke Association Annual Review 2004-2005 Message from the Chairman
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Northern Ireland Chest Heart and Stroke Association Annual Review 2004-2005 Message from the Chairman Dear Supporter It is good to learn that Dr Michael Power has been asked by the DHSSPS to set up a working group to revise and update This has been another successful and eventful year for the the stroke strategy. It is highly significant that a strategy has Association, and we have many people to thank. now been agreed and will be implemented in the Eastern At the top of the list are our volunteers, staff and donors, Board followed by other Board areas. without whom none of our valuable work would be possible. We were all delighted to hear the news that Mr David Magill Some of the largest donations in the year under review had been awarded MBE as a result of his extensive work both came from legacies, and we are very grateful to those who for this Association and many other charitable causes. He remembered the Association when making a will. The income has been Chairman of the Glengormley Support Group over from this source can vary greatly from one year to the next. many years and a stalwart member of Council, bringing much Dr Roger Lowry OBE FRCP This Annual review is accompanied by a leaflet on legacies, expertise to its deliberations. and I would appeal to you to read it and act upon it. We are sorry to lose Ms Jackie McCusker who has been a After much debate, the Governance Board decided to member of the Board for 6 years. abide by its original decision to rebuild our headquarters at Mrs Anne Hayes has joined the Board having been a member 21 Dublin Road, Belfast. We intend to use the top three floors of Council for some 5 years. Mrs Hayes was previously Director of the five-storey building while letting out the lower two to of the Northern Ireland MS Society and previously had an generate further income. The completion date is expected to extensive career in nursing. be July 2006. We welcome the following new members of Council: Mr Peter It was a tremendous honour that Sir Richard Doll CH FRS, Lavery, Ms Grainne McMacken, Mr Charlie Warmington and Mr Emeritus Professor of Epidemiology at Oxford University, Martin McLoughlin. agreed to lay the foundation stone on 16th June 2005. Sir Richard was the first person to establish the link between A special word of thanks to Mrs Connie Wright who has been a Ian Lindsay Hon Treasurer, Sir Richard Doll and NICHSA Patron Dorinda, Lady Dunleath smoking and health, and thus saved millions of lives long serving member of Council and a very active member of throughout the world. Holywood Support Group. It is good to know that she intends to continue in her work with the Holywood group. Sadly after a short illness, barely six weeks after laying the foundation stone, Sir Richard died on Sunday 24th July 2005 at Yours sincerely, the age of 92. As ever, thank you to the members of the Scientific Research Cover photograph: Grants Committee (SRGC), led by Professor Walter Holland Denny Elliott, Director of Fundraising NICHSA,Chloe Fisher (5), who was diagnosed with a congenital CBE, a world-renowned epidemiologist who has been heart defect when only a few weeks old, and Maria undertaking research for almost half a century. Donnelly, Mournes District Manager and Chairperson, Roger Lowry OBE FRCP Northern Bank Employee Charity Group. Chairman 2 Annual Review 2004-2005 CHIEF EXECUTIVE’S REPORT Sudden Cardiac Death Respiratory Illnesses Sudden death is a shock to all. We were pleased to see that in August 2004 the Department However, when it occurs in young fi t of Health, Social Services and Public Safety (DHSSPS) adults it is even more devastating. established a working group on respiratory conditions to Northern Ireland was shocked by shape respiratory services over the next 10 years. The aim the death of two very prominent is to prevent these illnesses (asthma, emphysema, chronic young sportsmen in the year 2004. bronchitis, bronchiectasis) and to improve treatment. Such The loss of Cormac McAnallen and action was long overdue. The framework will be published John McCall awakened everyone in the autumn of 2005, and NICHSA is represented on the in the community to the dangers of working group. sudden cardiac death, particularly in Andrew Dougal OBE FCIPR Stroke Strategy Implementation Project Mrs Maureen Boyle, Stroke Family Support Co-ordinator the young. Chief Executive North Down and Ards, Mr Alan McFarland MLA North The Stroke Strategy Implementation Project Down, Mr Andrew Dougal Chief Executive NICHSA, Mr Billy In the year under review, NICHSA has continued its efforts was formally launched by Dr Paula Kilbane, Gibson Council Member NICHSA, Mrs Pam Law Volunteer to persuade communities to purchase automatic external Stroke Scheme Co-ordinator, Mrs Margaret Foot East Belfast Chief Executive of the Eastern Health and Stroke Club at the launch of the project in the Long Gallery, defi brillators, which can be used by members of the public. Social Services Board. Parliament Buildings, Stormont. We have also been heavily involved in ensuring that as many people as possible are trained in CPR, which is a necessary Four Masterclasses on stroke were component of any resuscitation. It is our belief that the organised in the autumn of 2004 for GPs in public must play its part in augmenting the work undertaken the Eastern Board area. The purpose of this was to ensure that by the Ambulance Service. In many areas it is not possible family doctors had up-to-date knowledge on the management for an ambulance to reach the patient within four minutes. of stroke. Derek Sweetnam has been active within the Association Ms Sandra Aitcheson, Nurse Advisor on the Elderly to the in persuading organisations to have automatic external DHSSPS, has been appointed for 3 sessions per week to lead defi brillators available 24 hours a day, particularly in those the Stroke Strategy Implementation Project. Local task forces areas where large numbers of the public gather. have been set up to drive forward the stroke strategy both in It is also important to take a family history of any sudden hospital and in the community. cardiac death. When such a case is identifi ed it is essential that the whole extended family is screened. NICHSA has funded research over many years in Sinead Malone, Project Co-ordinator, Sandra Aitcheson, this area under Dr Colin Graham Project Director, Lenore O’Hare, Project Secretary at Belfast City Hospital. We are setting up an expert group to look at the issue of sudden cardiac death in the young and to make recommendations for policies. Defi brillator Annual Review 2004-2005 3 Research The following projects were agreed for funding during the last Scientifi c Research Conference year: For the fi rst time the Association invited those who had undertaken research funded by the Association to present their 1. Dr Gary McVeigh, Queen’s University, Belfast “Functional fi ndings at a scientifi c research conference. This was held at the regulation of NOSIII in congestive cardiac failure: role of Research and Education Centre at the Royal Hospitals Trust. A teytrahydrobiopterin” - £39k large number of topics was presented with the majority being 2. Dr Joe MacMahon, Ulster University “Educational in heart disease and others on stroke and respiratory illnesses. sessions in pulmonary rehabilitation” - £21k NICHSA’s current policy is to encourage more research, particularly in the area of stroke and respiratory disease. 3. Dr Vanessa Brown, Queen’s University Belfast “Investigations of neutrophil apoptosis in COPD” - £45k Tobacco Control In December 2004 the Health Minister issued consultation on 4. Dr Peter McCarron, Queen’s University, Belfast what should be done about smoking in workplaces as well as “Association between diet and antioxidant status in public places. Only three options were outlined: adolescence and early adulthood and early adult lung Dr Mary Ward, University of Ulster function” - £35k a. to make no changes 5. Dr Pascal McKeown, Royal Hospitals Trust “A study b. to have the “English fudge” where some public houses of aspirin resistance in patients with cardiovascular and clubs would be smoke-free and others not disease” - £8K c. To render all workplaces and public places smoke free. 6. Professor Stuart Elborn, Belfast City Hospital “Airway clearance in bronchiectasis: is non-invasive ventilation a NICHSA, along with other medical and health useful adjunct in moderate to severe disease?” - £18k organisations set about enlisting public support for the third option. On 24th March 2005, 25,000 7. Dr Mary Ward, University of Ulster “The homocysteine- letters were delivered to the Health Minister at lowering effect of ribofl avin in CVD patients with Stormont. Other organisations involved different MTHFR C677T genotypes” - £27k included the Ulster Cancer Foundation, the BMA, the Royal College of Nursing The Association has a policy only to fund research of the and Action Cancer. The website set up highest quality and which will benefi t the people of Northern for people to indicate their preference Ireland in as short a time as possible. If applications do not received a large number of “hits”. come up to the standard, money is set aside for research projects in the following year. All research work is carried out in In June 2005 the Health Minister the hospitals and universities of Northern Ireland. announced that as many as 91% of those Dr Vanessa Brown, Queens University Belfast participating had voted in favour of option “c”, 8% in favour of the fudge option “b” and less than 1% in favour of making 4 Annual Review 2004-2005 no change.