Covid-19

A position statement from the Heart Failure Hub:

Provision of Essential Heart Failure Services in Scotland during COVID19

NHS Scotland Heart Failure Transition and Recovery Plan During COVID-19

Scottish Access Collaborative

We are asking healthcare professionals to access and share the latest guidance, information and clinical pathways via the Scottish Access Collaborative Cardiology Knowledge Hub. This forum will act as a central library for all documents and evidence.

As this is a closed forum, you will be firstly asked to sign into your Knowledge Hub account. To access this forum and/or sign up to the Knowledge Hub please click on this link.

Other resources

The British Society for Heart Failure have provided a summary of heart failure service needs during the COVID-19 pandemic and planning for the recovery phase.  They highlight the  importance of maintaining heart failure services and adapting them to meet patient and service needs during the pandemic.

BSH statement here

Infographic highlighting key principles of service delivery here

Top tips for heart failure nurses when reviewing patients with chronic heart failure in a virtual consultation here

British Cardiac Society COVID-19 Clinician resources 

For patients who are isolating or shielding CHSS have a kindness volunteer s who can help out through providing someone to talk to or help out with things like shopping CHSS Volunteer

Introduction

We appreciate there is a lot of conflicting information out there and this can often make it confusing in terms of what to believe and trust. We only refer to websites that are safe and provide information which is based on evidence.

How has the response to COVID-19 impacted the management of heart failure?

The Impact of COVID-19 on the Management of Heart Failure -A United Kingdom Patient Questionnaire Study

Pumping Marvellous COVID-19 Questionnaire

We would like to ask you about how accessible your heart failure services have been during the COVID-19 pandemic. Below is the link to the survey which should take you no more than 5 mins. The survey responses are being gathered by the Pumping Marvellous Foundation who are working with heart failure specialists.

To access the survey click here

Your questions answered

Heart Failure Hub Lead Dr Clare Murphy and other heart failure specialists answer your questions:

Should I shield?  What heart failure services are available?  How will clinics be provided?  What can I do as a patient to keep myself well?

Click here if the video below does not load

Where to find additional support

Ready Scotland

Staying at home stops the spread of coronavirus, and some need extra help.

There is now a national helpline for people who are over 70 or receive the flu vaccine for medical reasons, do not have any access to the internet, and do not have anyone to help get essential supplies like food or medicine.

You can pass this number on to someone you are supporting, or call on their behalf.

Call: 0800 111 4000

The line is open Mon-Fri, 9am-5pm.

Please remember this helpline is dedicated to helping those who cannot leave their home and who cannot get help online.

Information related to your heart condition:

Please use the links below to read more about what the COVID-19 coronavirus means for you if you have or are caring for someone with a heart or circulatory condition. The links will be automatically updated as new information becomes available.

• British Heart Foundation
• Cardiomyopathy UK
• Chest Heart & Stroke Scotland
• Pumping Marvellous
• Heart Failure Matters – Information & practical tips COVID-19  Available in English  Deutsch Nederlands Español Français Português Svenska Ελληνικά Русский العربية

Medications

You may have heard or read that using certain heart medications can cause more severe symptoms of COVID-19..

There is no evidence to support these claims.

For this reason, several national cardiac societies have said that as there is no evidence to support this, patients should continue treatment with ACEi (drugs ending in ‘pril’) and ARB (drugs ending in ‘artan’) unless specifically advised to stop by their medical team. More information here

General advice

General advice regarding COVID-19 coronavirus and a self help guide on checking your symptoms can be found on the NHS Inform website.

It is important to look after your mental health and wellbeing.  For more information go to Every Mind Matters

Additional Support

Our charity partners have a selection of support mechanisms available to answer any general questions you may have. These include Facebook support groups for patients, carers and family members and online communities to chat with other people with heart and circulatory conditions.

Each charity partner also have a nurse advice line to offer support and general advice.

• British Heart Foundation Heart Helpline – 0300 330 3311

(Lines open Monday – Friday 9am to 5pm; calls to the senior cardiac nurses are charged at a similar rate to 01 02 numbers). Or you can email hearthelpline@bhf.org.uk

• Cardiomyopathy UK Helpline – 0800 018 1024

(Lines open Monday – Friday 8.30am to 4.30pm; this is a freephone number). Or you can contact them online

• Chest Heart & Stroke Scotland Advice Line – 0808 801 0899     

(Lines open Monday – Friday 9.30am to 4pm; this is a freephone number). Or you can email adviceline@chss.org.uk

CHSS new staff and kindness volunteers are ready to help:CHSS Kindness volunteers