Support the Cardiac Rehabilitation Unit at Royal North Shore Hospital
Your support helps provide expert care and personalised rehab that empowers heart patients to rebuild strength, regain confidence, and embrace life after a cardiac event.
Our goal
$400,000
Raised
$255,962
To go
$144,038
Support Healing Hearts
Every year, thousands of Australians survive heart attacks, surgeries, or cardiac episodes – but survival is just the beginning. The real journey to recovery starts in places like the Cardiac Rehabilitation Unit at Royal North Shore Hospital, where patients are given the tools, support and care to rebuild their strength, confidence and quality of life.
This unit is more than just a clinic – it’s a lifeline. It helps patients navigate one of the most vulnerable chapters of their lives, combining expert clinical care with education, exercise, and emotional support to reduce the risk of future cardiac events. The outcomes are life-changing: fewer hospital readmissions, longer life expectancy, and a chance for patients to return to their families and communities stronger than before.
By giving today, you’re helping provide essential equipment, updated facilities, and access to innovative programs that support recovery and prevention. Your support sends a powerful message – that heart health matters, and that every person deserves the best chance at a full recovery.
Please give today to help hearts heal, recover and thrive.
Heart Disease in Australia
Australians a day
die from cardiovascular disease, making it a leading cause of death in Australia.
times more men
die from coronary heart disease than women, making it the leading cause of death for Australian men.
heart attack every 9 minutes
occurs in Australia, and 1 in 2 people who have one will have had no prior symptoms.
YOUR SUPPORT MATTERS
Support the Cardiac Rehabilitation Unit at RNSH
Cardiac rehabilitation is more than recovery – it’s a second chance at life.
Cardiac Rehab is a team of cardiac nurses, exercise physiologist and other allied health who provide important ongoing care and support during the recovery process from a heart event, using a combination of prescribed exercise, education and assessment.
With your support, the Cardiac Rehab team can provide life-changing care that helps heart patients regain strength, restore confidence and reduce the risk of future heart events.
Meet the Cardiac Rehabilitation Unit team
Maura Farrell
Nurse Manager NSLHD, Cardiac Rehabilitation and NSLHD MACARF Heart Failure Services
Maura Farrell
Nurse Manager NSLHD, Cardiac Rehabilitation and NSLHD MACARF Heart Failure Services
About Maura
Maura leads the Cardiac Rehabilitation and Heart Failure Services at Royal North Shore Hospital (RNSH), and has coordinated care across Ryde, Mona Vale and Hornsby hospitals since 2018.
With over 18 years of experience in acute cardiology at RNSH, Maura progressed from staff nurse to nurse unit manager before stepping into her current leadership role. She is deeply committed to the prevention of cardiac disease, advocating for lifestyle modification and exercise-based rehabilitation as key components of patient care.
Maura is actively engaged in quality improvement initiatives and collaborates closely with the Kolling Institute under Professor Geoffrey Tofler. Her work focuses on medication safety, remote patient monitoring, and heart failure management, reflecting her dedication to evidence-based practice and innovation in cardiac care.
With over 18 years of experience in acute cardiology at RNSH, Maura progressed from staff nurse to nurse unit manager before stepping into her current leadership role. She is deeply committed to the prevention of cardiac disease, advocating for lifestyle modification and exercise-based rehabilitation as key components of patient care.
Maura is actively engaged in quality improvement initiatives and collaborates closely with the Kolling Institute under Professor Geoffrey Tofler. Her work focuses on medication safety, remote patient monitoring, and heart failure management, reflecting her dedication to evidence-based practice and innovation in cardiac care.
Ann Kirkness
Clinical Nurse Consultant, Cardiac Rehabilitation, RNSH
Ann Kirkness
Clinical Nurse Consultant, Cardiac Rehabilitation, RNSH
About Ann
Ann brings extensive clinical experience in cardiac care, with a strong focus on patient education and resource development. Her work spans several research and quality improvement initiatives, particularly in risk factor modification and the management of patients with implantable cardioverter defibrillators (ICDs).
Ann has led the ICD Support Group at RNSH for over 25 years, providing ongoing guidance and support to patients and their families. She has published in numerous international peer-reviewed journals and has presented her work at state and national conferences, contributing significantly to the advancement of cardiac nursing practice.
Ann has led the ICD Support Group at RNSH for over 25 years, providing ongoing guidance and support to patients and their families. She has published in numerous international peer-reviewed journals and has presented her work at state and national conferences, contributing significantly to the advancement of cardiac nursing practice.
Christine Bruntsch
Senior Exercise Physiologist, Cardiac Rehabilitation, RNSH
Christine Bruntsch
Senior Exercise Physiologist, Cardiac Rehabilitation, RNSH
About Christine
Christine has worked in Cardiac Rehabilitation since 1998, gaining extensive experience and expertise in supporting a diverse range of cardiac patients. She is a passionate advocate for the role of exercise in recovery and long-term health, regularly presenting at national conferences and community events on the proven benefits of physical activity, safe exercise practices, and practical strategies for getting started.
Christine is deeply committed to promoting exercise as a lifelong habit – not only following a cardiac event, but also as a preventative measure against chronic disease. Her enthusiasm for active living extends beyond her professional life; she is an avid runner and actively involved in her three children’s sporting pursuits.
Christine is deeply committed to promoting exercise as a lifelong habit – not only following a cardiac event, but also as a preventative measure against chronic disease. Her enthusiasm for active living extends beyond her professional life; she is an avid runner and actively involved in her three children’s sporting pursuits.
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