Caring for patients with a long-term heart condition in the community
Over 7.6 million people are living with heart and circulatory diseases in the United Kingdom. Birmingham Community Health Care Trust has a dedicated Cardiac Service to support the heart health of Birmingham communities.
BCHC currently manages 233 individuals with a heart/valve or Aortic condition, one of the most common conditions being aortic valve stenosis. Age-related aortic stenosis usually begins after age 60, but often it does not show symptoms until ages 70-80.
According to the British Medical Journal almost 300,000 people in the UK have the condition.
“Signs to look out for include chest tightness, feeling faint or dizzy, shortness of breath, fatigue, especially during times of increased activity, palpitations or fluttering heartbeat and sudden loss of consciousness” says Gurbaksh Purewal, Cardiac Specialist Nurse at BCHC.
Aortic valve stenosis is a type of heart valve disease, a condition that leads to calcium deposits building up on the valve, causing it to narrow. Valvular heart disease can often result in reduced heart pump function, also known as heart failure.
Gurbaksh's role as a Cardiac Specialist is to care for patients diagnosed with heart failure, focusing on treatment, education and long-term management.
The team works in partnership with patients and other multidisciplinary healthcare professionals both in the community and in hospital settings.
Our Cardiac Services offer both heart failure clinical support and cardiac rehabilitation. The heart failure service offers six clinics across the city (excluding South Birmingham), visiting housebound patients in their place of residence. The cardiac rehabilitation service provides education and exercise rehabilitation in four specialised gym facilities. Covering a wide geographical area, advanced nurse practitioners, cardiac specialist nurses, physiotherapists, exercise physiologists, care support workers and administrators support the teams.
Heart failure is a long-term condition which can be supported by the introduction of evidence-based treatments, such as medication and cardiac devices. Patients are also supported with education on how to self-manage their long-term condition, make healthy lifestyle changes, and manage other medical conditions, such as diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and obesity that may accelerate the disease.
As well as explaining to patients what signs and symptoms they should look out for, reviewing their medications and explaining the importance of taking it correctly, “we give patients a contact number to call” says Gurbaksh “so they can speak to us when they have concerns or need advice.”
Our teams work hard to support patients in the community to help slow down the progression. However, when patients do need to have an operation “post-surgery we have a great cardiac rehabilitation team, which helps patients gradually increase their activity levels, improve fitness and learn how to manage their condition,” says Gurbaksh.
This support includes advice on how to maintain a healthy weight. Offering group support sessions local to patients to build confidence and encouraging good dental hygiene (as poor dental hygiene has been linked to heart valve infections).
“As cardiac specialists, we promote and encourage people to adopt and lead a healthier lifestyle alongside medical therapy.” says Gurbaksh.
Cardiovascular disease is one of the main causes of death and disability in the UK, but it can often largely be prevented by leading a healthy lifestyle. Visit the NHS's website to learn more about the ways in which you can keep your heart healthy.