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Gary Russel is a 52-year-old Civil Servant from London. After being diagnosed with heart valve disease in his twenties at a medical to join the Police Force, his valve disease story went on for two decades before he was treated in 2013.

Livvy Gosney is currently waiting for surgery for bicuspid valve disease. This is her story about life before treatment.

Last week I spoke with Professor Simon Ray, President of British Cardiovascular Society, about changes to appointments, clinics and MDT’s. In our discussion, we looked at how digital innovation has been used to limit in-person services in favour of virtual clinics. Now, the reasoning for this move may be COVID-19, but as we move forward, it is clear that these changes will remain. Patient experience must be at the centre of this new practice, and we recreate the same sense of comfort patients receive from meeting their clinical team in person.

While the outbreak of COVID-19 has placed unprecedented pressure on the NHS, Public Health England's admissions data points towards a concerning trend of people avoiding hospitals out of fear of contracting COVID-19. While concerns around COVID-19 are understandable, by not receiving urgent treatments, patients may be putting their lives at risk.

At the very height of the COVID-19 outbreak, retired postman and hospital worker, Lewis Benn, was awaiting treatment for severe aortic stenosis. Having been told he would have to wait till September, Lewis feared for his life, but thanks to the excellent work of Dr Dan Blackman and the team at Leeds General Infirmary, Lewis was admitted, treated and discharged over the course of just 3 days. Here, is his story.

​In response to the outbreak of Covid-19 NHS hospitals across the country suspended non-urgent elective surgeries in a bid to manage the strain placed on hospitals in controlling the virus. As Trusts look to manage non-Covid-19 related critical services, NHS hospitals and the private sector are working together to attempt to increase treatment capacities.