Cardiac rehab
Thousands of people have a heart attack or
bypass surgery every year. But how many get the life-saving cardiac
rehabilitation they need to help their recovery?
According to the latest figures from the 2012 National Audit
for cardiac
rehabilitation just 44% of heart patients in England took
part. In Wales, 37% took part and in Northern Ireland the figure
was 41%. The Scottish Government funds its own audit and we’re
waiting to see those results.
The findings were a slight improvement on last year’s figures
but there’s still more to be done. We want to see an improvement in
the quality of cardiac rehabilitation programmes and an increase in
the uptake of rehabilitation, especially among patients with
heart failure.
The National Audit of Cardiac
Rehabilitation 2012 contains this year's top facts and
statistics on cardiac rehabilitation.
The campaign around the UK
In England, 44% of heart
attack, angioplasty and bypass patients received cardiac
rehabilitation. A slight improvement on the uptake shown in last
year's audit.
The Government has produced a commissioning pack, explaining how
the NHS can improve their cardiac rehabilitation services for the
benefit of heart patients, and what a great service should look
like. We’ll be using this pack to improve services in England by
helping promote it to commissioners.
And, along with NHS Improvement, we've developed a guide for
heart patients called
What should I expect from Cardiac rehabilitation? to help
patients, their families and carers understand what they might
expect from being involved in a cardiac rehabilitation programme
- and to demand commissioners make improvements if their
programme isn’t up to scratch.
If you want to campaign to improve cardiac rehabilitation
services where you live we can help you with hints and tips. Get in
touch with us at campaigns@bhf.org.uk
Just 37% of heart
attack, bypass and angioplasty patients received cardiac
rehabilitation in Wales during 2010-11 according to the latest
audit figues. Figures haven’t really improved since previous years
and far too many heart patient are not benefitting from this
life-saving treatment.
We need to maintain pressure on service delivery in Wales to
ensure that CR becomes an integral part of the patient pathway and
should be offered to every eligible heart patient.
If you want to campaign to improve cardiac rehabilitation
services where you live we can help you with hints and
tips. Get in touch with us at campaigns@bhf.org.uk
Our recent audit shows
that 41% of heart attack, bypass and angioplasty patients are
participating in cardiac rehabilitation; this is an encouraging 10%
increase from last year. We’ll be sharing the results of the audit
with local commissioners and also meeting with decision makers to
improve the quality and uptake of cardiac rehab in Northern
Ireland.
If you want to campaign to improve cardiac rehabilitation
services where you live we can help you with hints and tips. Get in
touch with us at campaigns@bhf.org.uk
This year's audit only
covers England, Wales and Northern Ireland. Scotland has an ongoing
electronic audit, funded by the Government and we're currently
waiting for the most recent results.
The Scottish Campaign is still ongoing, as there is action needed
by the Government to ensure that NHS health boards have the
resources they need to deliver accessible cardiac rehab to all
those who need it.
Anne-Marie's story
Anne-Marie was nervous after a triple
bypass operation. She only had her family to help her.
"I felt like we were completely on our own and the health service
didn’t know how to cater for me as I wasn't a normal patient for
them. I fell through the cracks.
"I felt like when I left the hospital my husband was given a
sick woman in a wheelchair and a big bag if pills and we were left
to it. It was very disappointing.
"I remembered they mentioned cardiac rehab to me so I followed
up to see if I could join a programme as I thought this could help
me get back on my feet. But I was told I was on a waiting list and
they would get back to me. When they finally did - 15 weeks after
my operation - I was already back at work so couldn't attend the
classes. I wasn’t offered any other alternative."
Joan's story
Joan was offered the choice of hospital
based cardiac rehabilitation or a home-based programme. Cardiac
rehabilitation made a real difference to Joan's recovery and
confidence.
"I’m a care worker and I was eager to get back to work, so I chose
a home-based rehab programme. I could have attended a class in a
hospital, but these were quite far away – I don’t drive. Home-based
rehab suited me because I could do it in the evenings and in my own
home.
"I was given an exercise DVD and my cardiac rehab nurse called
me every week to check on how I was doing and answer any questions
I might have. It was really great – every time I did the exercises
they got a little bit easier and I felt myself getting more
confident.
"After my cardiac rehab programme finished I kept up the good
work using the DVD a few more times, but I also joined a cardiac
club. We have meetings every month and there are weekly exercise
classes I can attend which cover everything from swimming to Thai
Chi and bowling!
"People that don’t get to participate in a cardiac rehab
programme are missing out. I found the staff so supportive and
encouraging and it gave me the confidence to exercise again."