Your support is making things better for heart patients at University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire (UHCW) NHS Trust.
The Cardiac Rehabilitation unit was one of many NHS out-patient services that closed in March 2020 as hospitals cared for growing numbers of patients with coronavirus.
The team makes a tailor-made plan for each patient including exercise, diet advice, and emotional support alongside information about their heart condition.
With their patient’s health and wellbeing foremost in their minds, the cardiac rehabilitation team looked at ways of supporting people’s recovery at home during lockdown. They found “The Heart Manual” developed by NHS Lothian.
The Manual has activity and walking records to help patients and the team monitor progress, to set goals and to plan activities. Information is available to help people gain an understanding and acceptance of their condition. An accompanying relaxation programme is also available online or on CD. UHCW Charity purchased 60 manuals for patient use across Coventry and Rugby.
“Having a resource that I can use at home and look at on a week by week basis to track my progress, made me feel very supported alongside my rehab phone calls.” – Cardiac rehabilitation patient
Each patient had the Manual adapted to their needs and were supported by weekly phone calls from the Cardiac Rehabilitation team.
Based on a growing amount of evidence and research, the Manual is used by over 14,000 people in the UK and around the world. NHS Lothian virtually trained the cardiac rehabilitation team so the programme could be rolled out. The Friends of St Cross also purchased 60 Manuals, making 120 available across the region.
“The Heart Manual has meant that the cardiac patients of Coventry and Rugby have continued to have an excellent level of rehabilitation support in what has been extremely difficult times for everyone. For this, both the staff and patients in Cardiac Rehabilitation thank UHCW Charity whole heartedly.” – Kirsty, Clinical Exercise Physiologist