As a clinician who works across primary and secondary care, I've encountered countless patients whose lives have been significantly impacted by heart valve disease. Recognising the symptoms early on and seeking timely medical attention can make a huge impact in managing this condition effectively and ensuring optimal outcomes. It is essential we empower people with the knowledge and tools to [...]

In England, clinical guidelines are developed by an independent non-departmental public body, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE). NICE appoints an independent advisory committee for the guidelines, comprising healthcare professionals as well as lay representatives with lived experience, assisted by teams whose work covers evidence review and support, health economic evaluation, guideline recommendation development and quality assurance. [...]

I was approached by Heart Valve Voice to participate in the NICE Guideline consultation after sharing my heart valve disease story. After my story was first published, I spoke with the team and was keen to get involved in helping support other patients living with valve disease and use my experience to give back, so when they contacted me to [...]

As we mark 25 years of the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE), I wanted to take a moment to reflect on the impact of its Guideline for ‘Heart valve disease presenting in adults: investigation and management’ published in 2021. Heart Valve Voice’s journey to the final guideline started in 2016 in the Churchill Rooms in Westminster. We [...]

In the realm of healthcare, the perception of cardiovascular disease (CVD) often conjures images of middle-aged men clutching their chests. However, this image overlooks a critical reality: women are equally susceptible to cardiovascular disease, yet their symptoms are often under-investigated, under-diagnosed and under-treated in comparison. As a society, it is imperative to dispel the gendered myths shrouding CVD and recognise [...]

As a ‘mostly retired’ Cardiologist, I find myself reflecting on heart valve disease (HVD) and the changes related to it that have occurred over the past decade. Whilst well recognised by specialists for many decades, levels of awareness of HVD in the general population has been low, with detection and diagnosis often occurring late, making treatment less effective. However, I [...]

Heart disease claims millions of lives each year around the world, and the impact on individuals, families, and communities is immeasurable. Heart Month shines a spotlight on heart disease, and looks at how we can promote awareness of the disease and save lives in the future. While heart valve disease is a serious condition, it is treatable - and better [...]

2023 was a fantastic year at Heart Valve Voice, with the charity going from strength to strength with our awareness work and supporting valve patients and their families. It is a testament to the hard work of the team and our patient advocates that despite the challenges we’ve faced throughout the year we’ve still been able to deliver award-winning campaigns [...]

Last week, I was delighted to attend PCR London Valve 2023 with the Heart Valve Voice team and some of our incredible Patient Advocates. This year’s event was particularly special, as it saw the launch of Global Heart Hub’s Shared Decision Making Roadmap, a new resource which aims to improve patient experience for cardiovascular patients worldwide.  PCR London Valve has [...]

Last week, I had the pleasure of attending the Global Heart Hub Unite Summit in Barcelona. The Summit brought together patient organisations, patient advocates, clinicians, industry representatives and key opinion leaders from across the cardiovascular space - uniting to share ideas and strategies to deliver early detection and timely diagnosis of cardiovascular disease. Global Heart Hub is a coalition of [...]