Toolkit for heart patients launched at Blackburn Hospital (From Blackburn Citizen)
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Toolkit for heart patients launched at Blackburn Hospital
3:00pm Friday 15th February 2013 in News
Toolkit for heart patients launched at Blackburn Hospital
A PIONEERING approach to heart failure management has been launched at the Royal Blackburn Hospital, making the North West the first region to benefit from the new patient toolkit.
NHS North West has teamed up with Pumping Marvellous, a charity which supports heart failure patients, to pilot the information package in a bid to empower patients and provide awareness about the condition.
Nick Hartshorne-Evans, 42, Pumping Marvellous chairman, was diagnosed with heart failure at the age of 39, and said the toolkit was based on his own experience of having been diagnosed. He said: “When I was given some booklets on the ward, I didn’t read them because the first couple of pages were frightening – I thought I was going to die.
“Being diagnosed is devastating, and it only sinks in when you are at home.
“For many people, hearing the words ‘heart failure’ sounds like a death sentence, but with effective clinical care and self-management this does not have to be the case.”
Angela Graves, a 58-year-old heart failure specialist nurse at the Royal Blackburn Hospital, said: “Nick and the charity have helped us put this kit together with lots of information that we can give to patients upon discharge so that they can read the information in an interesting way.”
The toolkit is a self-care management system containing 42 parts which can complement clinical care for newly diagnosed patients.
Angela said: “It is extremely positive news that NHS North West is piloting this new approach to aftercare for heart failure conditions.”
More than 70,000 people in the North West are living with heart failure, and Angela said the kit was great for providing those diagnosed with heart failure with vital psychological and social support.
“The Pumping Marvellous heart failure toolkit is a vital resource to empower patients, helping them become more aware of their condition and how to self-manage,” she said.
After the St Valentine’s Day launch, Nick said he was excited by the positive response to the toolkit and looking forward to launching the initiative with other trusts in the near future.
