Heart problems are associated with significant morbidity and mortality for individuals and can place a considerable economic burden on healthcare systems and society. High quality specialist cardiac services are crucial for providing the best possible outcomes for patients with heart problems. However, the organisation of these services nationally is complex and there are many different factors to consider. It is therefore important that the organisation of specialist cardiac services on a national level is informed by the best available evidence.

An evidence review was undertaken by the Evidence for Policy Team within the HTA Directorate in HIQA. The main purpose of the evidence review was to inform the work of the National Review of Specialist Cardiac Services to recommend the best configuration for a national adult specialist cardiac service with population-based regional specialist cardiac networks and network hospitals. This evidence review was submitted to the Steering Group of the National Review in January 2020 for their consideration. The report of the National Review was published by the Department of Health on 8 April 2025.

The Evidence for Policy Team was established within the Health Technology Assessment (HTA) Directorate of the Health Information and Quality Authority (HIQA) in 2018 following a request from the National Patient Safety Office (NPSO) in the Department of Health. The Evidence for Policy Team is responsible for implementing evidence synthesis programmes to deliver high-quality evidence to support the development of policy by the Department of Health.

This research was part-funded through an extension of the grant agreement by the Health Research Board (HRB) for the HRB-Collaboration in Ireland for Clinical Effectiveness Reviews (HRB-CICER 2016-1871).