Colleagues work together to help people at risk of heart failure

Colleagues from health and care organisations across BSW came together recently to help people in Salisbury at risk of heart failure get support and to prevent the condition from getting worse.

Staff from Wiltshire Health and Care, Salisbury District Hospital and BSW ICB worked together with national heart failure charity Pumping Marvellous to offer health checks at the Guildhall in Salisbury.

Local people were able to walk in without an appointment, complete a health questionnaire, have their blood pressure checked and their heart rhythm reviewed. If, when after completing the health questionnaire and tests, clinicians in attendance were worried about possible signs of heart failure, letters were created for the patient’s GP to act on the information gathered.

Becky Hyland, Heart Failure Nurse Consultant Practitioner from Wiltshire Health and Care said the day was a great example of local organisations working together to prevent ill health.

“We know that 80 per cent of cases of heart failure are diagnosed during an acute hospital admission and approximately half could have been diagnosed earlier when reviewing symptoms. Heart failure is also a huge burden on the NHS budget.

“Working together with colleagues gave us a great opportunity to identify people in Salisbury at risk of heart failure and get them the treatment they need before the condition gets worse.”

Find out more about the work of Pumping Marvellous online

More information on heart failure can be found here: On the NHS website