Hearty Lives Bolsover
Research has
shown that people with mental health problems can be twice as
likely to die from cardiovascular disease due to medication and
lifestyle factors, including poor diet and lack of exercise.
Hearty Lives Bolsover is a £100,000 project working in
partnership with NHS Derbyshire County
and Derbyshire
Healthcare Foundation Trust.
Our aim
To reduce heart disease related deaths among people with severe
mental health problems living in Bolsover district through:
- auditing patient attendance to heart health appointments, eg
NHS Health Checks
- training primary care staff in mental health awareness
- training professionals who work with service users in the BHF
Healthy Hearts Kit
- running events such as Art 4 the Heart and healthy cooking
courses to educate service users about their increased risk of
heart disease and promoting healthier lifestyles
Sheila Platt, who has a professional background as a mental
health nurse, is the full-time project coordinator working with the
mental health team and GP practices in Bolsover.
"We want to help address issues of inequality by helping
residents with mental health conditions access treatment for
the prevention and care of cardiovascular disease."
Success so far
- the project launch was attended by 115 mental health service
users, carers and staff. 96 per cent of participants
said the event had increased their knowledge of heart disease
and 80 per cent said they would either do more exercise or eat
more fruit and veg
- 58 professionals have been trained on the Healthy Hearts Kit so
far
- 12 Health Care Assistants have been trained in mental health
awareness
- the Art 4 the Heart event was attended by 7 service users
- 50 people attended the unveiling of four professional pieces of
heart artwork to celebrate World Heart Day and World Mental
Health Day
More info
For more information about Hearty Lives Bolsover please contact
Area Development Manager Jane Palmer on palmerj@bhf.org.uk.