News

Heart Valve Voice are delighted to announce the formation of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Heart Valve Disease, which Heart Valve Voice will be acting as secretariat for.

Heart valve disease is a serious cardiovascular condition which can be fatal if left untreated. Following on from our Heart Health Survey, Global Heart Hub’s Heart Valve Disease Patient Council has partnered with The Health Policy Partnership, an independent health policy research organisation, to develop a report aiming to raise stakeholder awareness of heart valve disease across Europe.

Heart Valve Voice’s new partnership with the UK Valve For Life initiative could not have come at a more critical time for valve disease patients, according to CEO, Wil Woan. The initiative is run by the European Association of Percutaneous Cardiovascular Interventions (EAPCI), and will be promoting transcatheter valve interventions, which could be crucial in rapidly reducing the waiting lists built up during the COVID-19 crisis.

In recent weeks and months, we have spoken to patients whose heart valve disease treatment have been delayed due to COVID-19. Now, we have begun to publish stories that give the real-life experience of the impact of these delays on individuals.

COVID-19 has placed an extraordinary strain on our lives, our communities and our NHS. Because of this pressure, thousands of patients have experienced delays to treatments. While we understand that tough decisions need to be made to ease the strain on our NHS, we have a simple message to our care centres - just treat us. 

A recent British Heart Foundation study has found that between March and October there were over 5000 excess deaths from heart problems in the UK. These numbers are of great concern, and it is essential that we limit the impact of the second wave of COVID-19 on the care of patients with heart valve disease. This means that: patients must know that they should go to the doctor if they are experiencing symptoms of breathlessness, dizziness or fatigue; primary care must refer patients in a timely manner; and secondary care must maximise treatment capacity.