Blog
Our head of BHF Cymru: We're supporting patients in Wales and our research
There are around 340,000 people living with heart and circulatory diseases in Wales, and they are at the heart of our work in the BHF Cymru team. From working with the Welsh NHS to provide better health and care, to raising money to fund new research – our aim is to save and improve lives.
That is why we are working with colleagues from across the organisation on the new Patients First programme. This is the BHF’s number one priority in response to the pandemic, and it will ensure we can offer support for people now, while continuing to support our researchers to find the treatments and cures of tomorrow.
Supporting patients
We know that this is a strange and worrying time for many people, and the Patients First programme offers information and support to help anyone through this crisis. The number of calls and emails to our Heart Helpline has doubled over the last month, and it’s been inspiring to see the Health Service Engagement team in Wales, led by Jo Oliver, adapt so quickly. They have rallied to collaborate with the BHF helpline team to support this service and answer callers’ urgent questions.Our coronavirus web pages have already been visited more than 1.1 million times, and it’s vital that we make it as easy as possible for patients and their families to access accurate and relevant information. That is why we have already begun communicating with our supporters and the wider public to let them know about the new BHF coronavirus information and support hub.
Our new research partnerships
Recent data from the Office of National Statistics (ONS) showed that coronary heart disease was the most common pre-existing health condition in people who died with Covid-19 during March in England and Wales. There is still a lot to learn about how coronavirus affects people with this and other existing medical conditions.This is why the BHF has moved quickly to join forces with the National Institute of Health Research (NIHR) to launch a nationwide research initiative to better understand why people with heart and circulatory diseases are at higher risk and often suffer more severely with Covid-19. Working collaboratively gives us the best opportunity to use our expertise within the research community.
Research into heart and circulatory diseases remains as vital as ever. The BHF has also recently supported Health and Care Research Wales to develop a new National Cardiovascular Network, which will accelerate research into heart diseases, stroke and vascular dementia across Welsh universities. We will continue to support all our researchers through this time.
Staying safe also means seeking help
Covid-19 is extremely serious, and every effort needs to focus on fighting this disease. However, we know heart attacks don’t stop for a pandemic. I’m concerned about evidence showing there has been a drop of at least 20% in the number of people seen in hospitals across Wales with a suspected heart attack since the lockdown began.Anyone who experiences heart attack symptoms or shortness of breath should seek medical help immediately by calling 999. Leaving a heart attack untreated can be deadly, and the risks posed by delaying getting help are far greater than those posed by the virus.
Working for Wales
BHF Cymru is here for people in Wales in difficult times, and we always will be. I would like to thank all our staff, volunteers and supporters for everything they are doing – our work supporting patients and research is now more vital than ever.When do you still need to get medical help?