An NHS team has been offering free blood pressure and heart rate checks today as part of a campaign to highlight heart health.
The heart failure team at North Tees and Hartlepool NHS Foundation Trust has been raising awareness about the importance of keeping a healthy heart as well as recognising heart failure symptoms early, getting an accurate diagnosis and getting treatment.
As part of heart failure awareness week, the team are available at the University Hospital of North Tees over the course of the week and will be at the University Hospital of Hartlepool tomorrow (Wednesday), providing blood pressure and heart checks, as well as advice and support to staff and hospital visitors.
Anne-Marie Doyle, heart failure specialist nurse, said: “The theme this year is ‘detect the undetected’ and ‘freedom from failure’ – focussing on people who have undiagnosed heart conditions and emphasising the importance of early intervention.
“The objective of the 25in25 initiative is to decrease mortality rates linked to heart failure within the initial year of diagnosis by 25% over the course of the next 25 years.
“We were pleased to be joined by our colleagues in the coronary heart disease team, promoting the benefits exercise and activity have in having a healthy heart.
“Having a reduced heart function can lead to heart failure, including high blood pressure and irregular heart rhythms – the blood pressure and heart rate checks help us to pick these up.
“There are so many things people can do to have a healthy heart, including having a healthy and balanced diet, being physically active, having a healthy weight, reducing your alcohol consumption and not smoking.”
Pictured are Anne-Marie Doyle (left), Trudy Hunt (middle) and Lynette Hardy (right).
