Heart failure patients at mercy of ‘postcode lottery’

Patients suffering from heart failure are at the mercy of a postcode lottery, with survival trends and hospital re-admission rates “dramatically” impacted by “patchy” distribution of hospital services.

That’s according to a new report, The Cost of Heart Failure in Ireland, which found a “profound regional disparity” in services and outcomes for those with heart failure.

Consultant cardiologist Ken McDonald said in terms of major population areas, the Cork/Kerry region was the “most poorly resourced” for treating heart failure.