Hearty Lives Ayrshire and Arran 
People living in Ayrshire and Arran have
the highest risk of coronary heart disease in
Scotland.
Hearty Lives Ayrshire and Arran is
a £235,000 partnership project with NHS
Aryshire and Arran, offering a cardiac psychology service
for heart patients with psychological difficulties.
Our aim
We fund two cardiac
psychologists at the Crosshouse Hospital in
Kilmarnock. They provide therapy to patients
with a range of psychological difficulties commonly seen in
patients with heart problems. These difficulties can
include depression, stress and emotional acceptance.
This therapy will include:
- helping patients manage emotional difficulties related to their
heart problems
- preparing patients for
life-saving cardiac surgery
- helping patients overcome
problems with memory and concentration.
- provide education and support
to hospital staff to improve the
psychological care of patients with learning
disabilities or mental illness while using hospital
heart services.
Success so far
The service was great in helping me to deal with the heart attack on a day to day basis. They helped me to turn negative thoughts into positive ones
TJ McCandliss (pictured above
with Dr. Sharp) from Kilmarnock suffered a heart
attack at the exceptionally young age of 23. TJ didn’t have any
warning signs; he was a non-smoker and trained at the gym. He had
been under a lot of stress after losing his job as an aircraft
engine mechanic. Although his grandfather died at 60 of a heart
attack, TJ never thought it would happen to him at this age, and
he’s still coming to terms with it.
TJ, now an aircraft mechanic at Prestwick
Airport, says: “My physiotherapist realised the heart attack was
taking a bigger toll on me emotionally than I was letting on. She
introduced me to Dr. Sharp and I saw him once every two weeks and
in total four or five times. It was great because, while you can
talk to your family, sometimes you do keep things inside. I didn’t
want to add to their stress or worry them.
“I’d really recommend this service to every
single person who has gone through what I’ve gone through.”
More info
For more information about our Hearty Lives
programme, please contact Area Development
Manager Gillian Phillips at phillipsg@bhf.org.uk.