Mission Statement

The mission of Heartbeat Trust is to advocate for and influence future policy and treatment strategies for heart failure, ensuring access to care, prediction of risks, and protection of patient well-being while promoting best practices. We are dedicated to supporting and advancing leading-edge research that enhances awareness, prevention, and the quality of life for patients. Through our work, we advocate for safer patient treatments and strive to be a voice of influence in the management of heart failure, driving change in policy and promoting best practices across the field.

Strategic Objectives 2025-2027

OBJECTIVE 1: ADVOCACY AND PERSUASION

The HeartBeat Trust will advocate for people with or at risk of developing heart failure by influencing healthcare policies in three key areas, aiming to improve diagnostic access, prediction of risks, protection of patient well-being, treatment, and management practices.

We aim to achieve this objective by:

  • The organisation will advocate for targeted research and engage with policy makers focused on this objective.
  • The organisation will engage with national and European groups promoting research and policy changes that improve diagnostic access, treatment and management practices for heart failure.
  • The organisation members will highlight and promote evidence where enhanced diagnostic access, treatment and management practices are identified at all invited speaking opportunities.
  • The organisation will seek members with expertise in heart failure.
  • The organisation will seek membership from advocates for people living with heart failure.
  • Interdisciplinary research, holistic approaches to heart failure management

What are the intended outcomes:

  • The organisation will advocate for two key patient-focused research projects per year.
  • The organisation will provide support to external groups promoting patient focused research and policy improvements to address heart failure diagnostics, treatment and management practices.
  • The organisation will seek to influence and persuade people in the public domain at local and European level to adopt evidence-based practices that improve the management of heart failure for the population.
  • There are a minimum of 3 committee members with heart failure clinical and/or research expertise.
  • There is a minimum of 1 patient advocate for people living with heart failure on the committee.

OBJECTIVE 2: EDUCATION AND AWARENESS

Improve education on risk factors, evidence-based practices, and optimal management for public-health policy makers, healthcare professionals and people at risk and diagnosed with heart failure.

We aim to achieve this objective by:

  • The organisation will support awareness campaigns and training for people with and at risk of heart failure, lay people and healthcare providers to expand reach and impact.
  • Promote the management of efficiency and cost effectiveness of patient focused outcomes.
  • The organisation will develop educational content for awareness campaigns that members can use.
  • The organisation will participate in promoting awareness campaigns for people at risk and living with heart failure.
  • The organisation will support education materials and courses related to heart failure
  • Educate the public on the importance of research to improve practices.
  • Encourage participation and contribution to research projects that provide evidence and promotion of future improvement to patient outcomes.
  • Support and promote the future healthcare workforce to prioritise heart failure research and management.

What are the intended outcomes?

  • Promote European Heart Failure Awareness Week via HeartBeat Trust social media platforms.
  • Evidence of research outputs in policy & guidelines.
  • Provide content for promotional campaigns at national and European levels.
  • Provide heart failure expertise to support education courses and awareness campaigns at national and European levels.
  • Evidence promoting the expansion of the scope of practice of healthcare professionals improving access and outcomes for people living with heart failure.
  • Support patient advocacy member to contribute where they wish in education content and awareness campaigns.

OBJECTIVE 3: PARTNERSHIPS

To build on partnerships with organisations focused on heart failure to advance research and health system improvements aligned with our mission.

We aim to achieve this objective by:

  • We aim to initiate collaborative projects and funding opportunity through these partnerships, with quarterly reviews to monitor progress.
  • Partner with the Heart Failure Policy Network to promote European policy to address heart failure as an area of priority for investment in research service development and awareness.
  • Develop affiliate links with the Global Heart Hub to advocate for the best possible outcomes for people with heart failure.
  • Influence health professional regulators, advise, guide and support as decisions are made about future standards and future population needs.
  • Partner with Higher Education Institutions to advance research in heart failure.
  • Partner with Healthcare delivery partners to promote and evaluate heart failure patient systems.
  • Collaborate with digital health providers & develop partnerships to enhance the patient experience and encourage the use of best practice.

What are the intended outcomes?

  • Establish a formal partnership with University College Dublin, Academic Innovation Research Group in Chronic Disease and UCD Foundation.
  • Establish a partnership with Trinity College Dublin to promote heart failure research.
  • Maintain and establish new relationships with healthcare partners and higher education bodies to promote research opportunities for heart failure.
  • Meet with healthcare regulators and health research authorities to provide support on decisions related to standards related to heart failure population health.
  • Create opportunities to link with digital health providers.

OBJECTIVE 4: FUNDRAISING

Transitioning towards a new funding model that will support our ongoing research activity and enable the HBT to advocate for people with heart failure.

We aim to achieve this objective by:

  • Focusing our efforts around our “Women’s* Health Initiative in Heart Failure” project.
  • Identifying high net wealth individuals via our external advisor and meeting with them to seek their financial support.
  • Identifying corporate sponsors of elite women athletes and meeting with them to seek their financial support.
  • Focusing on partnership working with interested sponsors.

What are the intended outcomes?

  • Our funding model will achieve a regular income to meet the running requirements of the Trust.
  • Our annual business plan will reflect a total income designed to reflect our administrative and functional realignment with UCD.
  • Enable an increase in our activity in influencing and advocacy in relation to heart failure.

OBJECTIVE 5: MAINTAINING OUR GOVERNANCE AND STRENGTHENING OUR CAPACITY

Maintaining in place an enhanced level of corporate governance in line with best practice and recent regulatory requirements. Developing and strengthening the organisational capacity of the HeartBeat Trust to manage our work professionally, effectively and efficiently.

We aim to achieve this objective by:

  • Reviewing the make-up of our Board to ensure that it reflects the broad range of expertise and skills needed in line with our mission.
  • Continuing to improve the governance structure, which includes a small number of sub-committees.
  • Ensuring that all aspects of our governance are fully in line with international best practice and with the Charity Regulator Governance Code and the Companies Registration Office in Ireland.
  • Ensure that health professionals engaged with the activities of the HeartBeat Trust comply with their respective professional regulation.
  • Maintaining our lean organisation structures and ensuring that our capabilities are optimised.

What are the intended outcomes?

  • The introduction of new perspectives and expertise to our Board, and the practical improvements in governance we need to make – these will ensure that our governance structures and arrangements are best in class and fully in line with the expectations of our strategic partners, funders and other stakeholders.
  • A Board providing a combination of existing skills and experience within the HeartBeat Trust and new perspectives and insights – in that regard, the continued transition and development of the Board will be carefully managed to ensure continuity.
  • A highly professionally run organisation with focus on the implementation of our strategy, the development and roll-out of an annual business plan, and the regular reporting to the Board of our performance against targets.
  • Build the sustainability of the HeartBeat Trust “brand”, with the aim of bringing the Trust to the centre of patients minds when they think of heart failure research, innovation, advocacy and support for heart failure patients.
  • The HeartBeat Trust will remain as an international centre of influence and advocacy for the prevention and treatment of heart failure, working towards a reduction in the incidence of heart failure across Ireland by 2030.

 

* We acknowledge that some women choose to identify differently but for the purpose of this document the word woman will be used to refer to biological females. i.e., those who can give birth / or this document will use the sexed definition of woman but recognises that some women choose to identify out of their gender and includes all biological females with the capacity to give birth. (The National Maternity Strategy, 2016).