{"id":670323,"date":"2026-10-30T23:22:17","date_gmt":"2026-10-30T23:22:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/670323\/"},"modified":"2026-10-30T23:22:17","modified_gmt":"2026-10-30T23:22:17","slug":"irelands-first-nurse-led-post-stroke-hypertension-clinic-launches-at-uhl","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/670323\/","title":{"rendered":"Ireland\u2019s first nurse-led post-stroke hypertension clinic launches at UHL"},"content":{"rendered":"

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\n Image via HSE Mid West<\/p>\n

\n University Hospital Limerick has launched Ireland\u2019s first dedicated, nurse-led post-stroke hypertension clinic to bolster secondary prevention and long-term blood pressure control following a stroke or transient ischaemic attack (TIA).\n <\/p>\n

Minister of State for Older People and Housing Kieran O\u2019Donnell officially opened the clinic on World Stroke Day, October 29th, spotlighting early intervention and post-discharge support.<\/p>\n

Up to 80 per cent of strokes and heart attacks are preventable; however, hypertension remains the primary modifiable driver of secondary events.<\/p>\n

With stroke incidence in Ireland projected to surge by nearly 60% by 2035, systemic follow-up care is increasingly important.<\/p>\n

Advanced Nurse Practitioner Nora Cunningham oversees the new clinic, which delivers patient education, home-monitoring resources, and routine reviews by the hospital\u2019s stroke team.<\/p>\n

As the first organised service of its kind in Ireland, the clinic aligns with the goals of the National Stroke Strategy to standardise post-discharge secondary prevention.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

Speaking about the innovation, Nora said,<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Post-Stroke Hypertension (PoSH) Clinic is about putting patients at the centre of stroke prevention.<\/p>\n

By providing timely, personalised care and empowering patients to manage their blood pressure, we can make a real difference in reducing the risk of further strokes.<\/p>\n

This nurse-led initiative reflects our commitment to delivering accessible, specialist care that improves outcomes and makes a meaningful difference to patients\u2019 lives.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Speaking at the launch, Minister of State Kieran O\u2019Donnell said:<\/p>\n

“We know that high blood pressure is one of the most significant, and most addressable, risk factors for cardiovascular disease and stroke.<\/p>\n

And we also know that high blood pressure is the leading modifiable risk factor for recurrent stroke. That is why initiatives such as this are so important.<\/p>\n

The new Post-Stroke Hypertension Clinic in UHL will provide a structured pathway for patients following a stroke.<\/p>\n

\u00a0This will make a tangible difference to patients and families across the Mid West.”<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

Dr Catherine Peters, Regional Clinical Director, HSE Mid West, added,<\/p>\n

\u201cThe development of the Post-Stroke Hypertension Clinic reflects our commitment to continuously strengthen health services across the Mid West.<\/p>\n

By introducing innovative, evidence-based models of care such as this nurse-led service, we are improving access to specialist support, enhancing continuity of care after hospital discharge, and helping patients achieve better long-term outcomes.<\/p>\n

This clinic demonstrates how service development can be both patient-centred and responsive to emerging healthcare needs.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

Prof Ronan Collins, former HSE Clinical Lead for the Stroke Programme, Consultant Geriatrician and Stroke Specialist at Tallaght University Hospital, noted:<\/p>\n

“For someone who has experienced a stroke or TIA, leaving the hospital is only one part of recovery.<\/p>\n

This initiative gives patients a clear pathway for blood pressure management and demonstrates how the Expert Steering Group on Hypertension\u2019s clinical models can work in practice across Ireland.”<\/p>\n

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Ian Carter, CEO of Acute and Older Person Services, HSE Mid West added:<\/p>\n

“Empowering patients to monitor their condition at home while staying closely tied to clinical teams and their GPs ensures care does not end at hospital discharge.<\/p>\n

This model keeps secondary prevention firmly at the centre of stroke care.”<\/p>\n

Embedded within UHL\u2019s acute stroke service, the clinic operates under European hypertension guidelines and uses standardised toolkits, including custom decision-support algorithms, referral criteria, and rapid-escalation pathways for urgent cases.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Image via HSE Mid West University Hospital Limerick has launched Ireland\u2019s first dedicated, nurse-led post-stroke hypertension clinic to…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":670324,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[34],"tags":[103,397,396,61,60,608,611,607,610,609,612],"class_list":["post-670323","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-healthcare","tag-health","tag-health-care","tag-healthcare","tag-ie","tag-ireland","tag-limerick-radio","tag-limerick-today","tag-limericks-live95fm","tag-live-95","tag-live95fm","tag-live95fm-homepage"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/670323","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=670323"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/670323\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/670324"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=670323"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=670323"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=670323"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}