Policy response to Covid-19 – British Heart Foundation

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Since the beginning of the outbreak, weve put patient support and information at the centre of our work, extending the hours on our Heart Helplineand bringing in additional cardiac nurses to answer your questions.

Weve been working hard to provide information on our website about coronavirus for people who have heart and circulatory conditions. Our site is updated frequently. Weve tailored this to respond to what callers to our helpline have been asking about as well as gathering feedback from surveys on our website.

This has helped us understand how people with heart and circulatory diseases are feeling, their concerns and the challenges faced. Weve used this insight to help us to highlight their needs when speaking to governments and the health service.

In May we also carried out a survey of people living with heart and circulatory diseases.

Results showed:

Many people have contacted us seeking clarification on the guidance issued to those shielding or classed as clinically vulnerable.

We're urging the Government and the NHS to work with charities and patients as they are developing guidance, providing greater transparency as to how decisions on guidance are made and involving us in advance of announcements to ensure we can give the best advice to patients.

How were calling for clearer guidance for shielding and the clinically vulnerable group

Weve joined other leading health charities to call for improved leadership and clearer guidance for vulnerable people at risk as the lockdown eases. This includes millions of people across the UK with heart and circulatory diseases.

Read our letter on Government guidance.

During the covid-19 pandemic, services have rightly adapted in order to cope with increased demand. However, this has made it more difficult for people living with long-term conditions, such as heart and circulatory diseases, to access the treatment and care they need.

Our recent survey found that nearly half of heart patients have found it harder to get medical treatment during lockdown.

We have seen an impact on all parts of the heart and circulatory disease pathway, including deferral of diagnoses and therapeutic interventions and reduced access to specialist care in the community and identification and management of risk factors, including high blood pressure.

Difficulties in accessing vital treatment and care could have a damaging impact on peoples health or even lead to an increase in deaths, as well as put more pressure on the NHS if heart and circulatory patients become more unwell while waiting for hospital investigations and treatment. Access to care has also varied significantly across the country, which could further exacerbate health inequalities.

Were calling on the Government and the NHS to urgently restore vital services and increase capacity in secondary care to address the backlog of heart patients requiring treatment. We also want to see the return of rehabilitation and specialist cardiac services in the community prioritised.

Were working with professional bodies, such as the British Society of Heart Failure, to help define minimum standards of care for patients across the UK. And, were assisting the delivery of alternative ways of supporting people in hypertension management, cardiac rehabilitation and heart failure services by sharing best practice for remotely using telephone or digital services amongst healthcare professionals.

Additionally, as we move through the pandemic, well continue to play a significant role in delivering the ambitions of the Long-Term Plan working in partnership with NHS England.

In May, we submitted evidence to the Commons Health and Social Care Select Committee, based on patient insight and information from across the health and care system.

Our submission to the Health and Social Care Committee

Hospital data from across England in April showed that the number of people seen in hospital with a suspected heart attack had halved since the beginning of March.

Weve been working closely with the Government and NHS England on their public awareness campaign Help Us Help You, encouraging people to attend A&E in emergencies. The latest data for heart attacks in England has shown that the number of A&E attendances have returned to levels similar to those before the pandemic began and show the beginnings of an upward trend above that baseline.

Find out why the NHS is not too busy to save your life.

Like many other charities, the BHFs ability to raise vital funds for life saving medical research has been significantly impacted during the pandemic.

Back in March, we supported the NCVO 'Every Day Counts campaign' urging Government for a 'stabilisation fund' for the charity sector. We continue to push for adequate support for the sector, particularly for our extensive retail network.

Read the latestupdates on our shops.

The lockdown caused by the Covid-19 pandemic has disrupted many BHF research projects, with universities closed and clinical trials delayed. However, the burden of heart and circulatory disease does not stop for a pandemic.

To ensure patients still see the benefits of this research, we have committed to supporting current projects through to successful completion, even if postponed, and we are continuing to pay our researchers salaries .

Discover how our research funding is under threat.

Pre-existing heart and circulatory diseases and their risk factors have emerged as some of the most common reasons for severe complications from Covid-19.

This highlighted an urgent need to better understand the virus, and in response we quickly pivoted to help contribute to the Covid-19 research effort in various ways, including through our partnership with the National Institute of Health Research (NIHR).

Go to theInformation for Researchers sectionto learn about our covid-19 related research.

The coronavirus crisis has changed a lot about the world around us, especially how many of us travel, shop and eat.

One of the consequences of changes in the way we travel has been a drop in some types of air pollution in cities across the world. As we consider a future after the pandemic, we must look to create a healthier, greener society, including setting stricter targets for harmful pollutants like PM2.5.

Read our blog on how we can keep a lockdown on toxic air.

Emerging evidence also shows a link between obesity and worse outcomes from Covid-19. As a member of the Obesity Health Alliance, were calling for changes in our environment that help everyone to make healthier choices about the food they eat.

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Policy response to Covid-19 - British Heart Foundation