Important Information for Cardiac Patients from Heart Valve Voice
The global COVID-19 crisis has put an enormous strain on the UK health system which faces the battle of limiting the spread of Coronavirus whilst also providing the treatment and care that will save lives. As a result of this, the UK healthcare system is having to change the way it works and what they prioritise, impacting patients presenting with many conditions, including heart valve disease.
In response to this unprecedented crisis, Heart Valve Voice have united with all the major professional cardiovascular societies behind a statement which maps our response to the outbreak, what we are doing to support valve disease patients now and our strategic direction for when this crisis relents. This statement, available to read here, is this first collaboration of this kind by the major professional societies, and patients should be comforted to know that we are working together every day to ensure that we deliver best practice for cardiac patients both during and after this crisis.
At Heart Valve Voice, we have listened to our supporters concerns and questions, and curated a series of resources responding to frequently asked questions and offering support at this challenging time. On our YouTube Channel we have series of videos where leading clinicians respond to your questions and provide an insight into what the situation is like for those leading the countries response to COVID-19, as well as a Discovering Mindfulness workshop delivered by Soul Nutrition to help ease the stress and anxiety our supporters are feeling at this difficult time. And on our website we have many more resources for our supporters, including our Symptom Tracker, which we are encouraging everyone awaiting valve disease treatment to use daily.
Perhaps our most important resource right now is our Patient Stories, and we recently published one of the most relevant valve disease stories ever. With cardiac patient hospital admissions falling, we have seen an emerging trend where patients are not reporting deterioration in their symptoms, with a recent Global Heart Hub Survey attributing this to concerns over contracting the virus in hospital and a reluctance to overburden the NHS. George was diagnosed, treated and discharged at the very height of the outbreak. And thanks to the excellent staff at James Cook and access to innovative technologies he is now back home and feeling better than ever.
Click here to read George’s Story in full
Our message to patients right now is that we are here to help. So if you or anyone you know has been affected by heart valve disease and would like to ask us or one of our clinicians a question, please email [email protected]. However, please note that we will not be able to give any clinical advice regarding individual cases.
