22nd May 2025
Mary Burke, Chief Operating Officer, Daisy Hill Hospital, Neal Tohani, Head of Service for Cardiology, Marie McCoy, Cardiac Rehab Physiotherapist, Nicole McKelvie, Chairperson Heart Failure Warriors, Hazel Wilson, Cardiac Rehab Specialist Nurse, Edith Donnelly, Advanced Nurse Practitioner, Dr Mick Connolly, Consultant Cardiologist, Bridgeen O’Hanlon, Heart Failure Nurse Specialist, Dr David Mawhinney, Clinical Director, Emergency Department, Professor Patricia Campbell, Consultant Cardiologist and Heart Failure Lead, Rebecca Kennedy, Physician Associate.
The Southern Trust is proud to be the first organisation in the UK to receive pre-accreditation as a Specialised Quality of Care Centre by the European Society of Cardiology.
This prestigious recognition represents the gold standard in heart failure services as part of an international programme led by the Heart Failure Association.
Currently in the pre-certification phase, the Trust is finalising data collection that will confirm its position among a global network of centres and highlights the high quality of care provided by the heart failure service.
The achievement is closely linked to research led by Professor Patricia Campbell, Consultant Cardiologist based at Daisy Hill Hospital.
“This was a demanding application and the result of many years of hard work and service development. Our multidisciplinary heart failure team has worked tirelessly to improve how we deliver care to our service users.
“This success belongs to every member of the team and I want to express my sincere pride and heartfelt thanks to each and every one of them.”
Edith Donnelly, Heart Failure Advanced Nurse Practitioner and Professor Patricia Campbell, Consultant Cardiologist and Heart Failure Lead.
Trudy Reid, Director of Medicine and Unscheduled Care, added:
“This is a tremendous honour and a superb opportunity for us as a Trust moving forward.
“It is not only a proud moment for our clinical teams but also a powerful endorsement of our ongoing research and innovation.
“To have our work acknowledged by the European Society of Cardiology reinforces our importance of investing in and supporting our Research and Development Department to drive better care, better treatments and better outcomes for our patients.”