Out and about this summer
Throughout July and August, our wonderful Heartlink volunteers have been busy out and about in the local community, as well as supporting local patients. One of our key aims is to raise awareness about heart health and help reduce people’s risk of health problems and complications. Since 2024 we have also been promoting the local Ealing Smokefree Service, because smoking is one of the main causes of heart problems, as well as causing cancer and respiratory issues. All of our activities below have been to promote the Smokefree Service.
Early on Saturday, 12th July, we visited the Parkrun in Southall Park and talked to many of the over 100 participants. We got a great reception as we gave out our leaflets and booklets and distributed water to the participants at the end of the run.
On a wet Saturday on 19th July, we visited Meadow View GP Surgery in Northolt and attended their Summer Health Fair. We talked to dozens of the local patients with a great response. On top of this one of our Committee Members worked with the local GPs and surgery staff to help organise a regular Smokefree Clinic at the Surgery itself, for people wanting help to quit.
We visited the Hanwell Cardiac Rehabilitation Group at the end of July, where we were joined by representatives of Ealing Trading Standards, who explained their work combating illegal vaping and tobacco. We got a high level of interest from those attending the group.
At the beginning of August, we were invited to run a stall at the Queens Pharmacy on the Broadway in Southall. We were given a table inside had great support from the pharmacy management and the pharmacists in running this stall. We got a good response from both people inside & shoppers outside on the Broadway
On top of this, throughout July and August, we have continued to run our two weekly Information Desks at Ealing Hospital, and have generated good interest amongst patients, those visiting clinics, people attending for tests and visitors to the hospital.
Highly relevant information about heart medication
At our latest Heartlink monthly meeting held at Ealing Hospital on Thursday 7th August, a packed audience of members heard a presentation about ‘Heart Medication’ given by Aanchal Bahl, Senior Specialist Pharmacist in Cardiology at our Hospital Trust.
Almost all those in the audience were heart patients themselves and currently taking heart medication. Aanchal dealt in detail with each class of heart related medication that is in common use (and some that are not so common). She gave a valuable insights into:
· what they do
· how they should be taken
· their possible side effects
· practical ways to avoid problems with them
· possible alternatives
· liaison with medical staff about them
She answered dozens of questions raised by audience members and continued after the meeting to deal with individual issues raised .
Members felt it was one of the best and most useful meetings out of our many helpful sessions.
We would like to extend our great thanks to Aanchal.
A busy start to the summer
Heartlink members and volunteers have had a busy start to the summer, with plenty of activities both aimed at our members themselves, and out in the local community. At each of them, in addition to heart health advice, we have promoted the Ealing Smokefree Service to help those who want to quit smoking.
On 25th June a team of our volunteers visited one of the regular weekly sessions of our friends at the Mael Gael community group at Norwood Green and received a great welcome. We took with us one of our key supporters from Ealing Hospital, Consultant Cardiologist Doctor Jamie Kitt, who presented to the group, giving good advice about heart health. He received excellent feedback from the 130 strong audience, and we ran a stall giving out our booklets and leaflets.
At Ealing Hospital on Friday 27th June, the Chief Executive of the Hospital Trust, Pippa Nightingale, invited Heartlink Trustees and representatives to a meeting to discuss joint opportunities, together with Councillor Polly Knewstub, Cabinet Member from Ealing Council. There was strong support from the Trust and Council representatives for Heartlink and the work it is doing both in Ealing Hospital and in local communities.
Heartlink has recently joined Southall Community Alliance to strengthen our links with the local community, and on Wednesday 2nd July, we were fortunate to be invited to run a stall at the Annual General Meeting of the Alliance, attended by 100 Local community representatives including local MP Deirdre Costigan.
The following night at Ealing Hospital, 50 of us attended our monthly meeting where Annika Towell, Head of Patient Experience at the Hospital Trust, explained about the role of the hospital’s PALS (patient advice and liaison) Service to assist patients with any problems.
On Saturday 5th July, a team of our volunteers ran a lively stall outside Quality Foods supermarket in South Road, Southall, talking to many shoppers about heart health and the Smokefree Service.
Walkers lead the way
A large group of Heartlink members and supporters enjoyed the Heartlink sponsored walk on the morning of 21st May. The walk was organised by our regular group of Wednesday Walkers, and we assembled at Greenford Hall, going on a very enjoyable walk together through lovely parkland in Perivale and Pitshanger parks, and finishing for refreshments in the sunshine at the Brentham Club.
As well as our regular walkers and many other Heartlink members, we were delighted to be joined by the previous Mayor of Ealing and longtime supporter Mrs Mohinder Midha and Councillor Polly Knewstub, Ealing Council Cabinet Member for Healthy Equal Lives.
The aim of the walk was to encourage more local people to join our regular weekly walks as well as raising sponsorship monies for Heartlink’s work of supporting local heart patients and raising awareness about heart health. We know that walking helps us improve our fitness, in addition to enjoying the walks and open air and sharing chats and time together.
Our regular weekly walkers meet at Greenford Hall, in the centre of Greenford every Wednesday at 10am and go off together for leisurely walks through nearby parks and along scenic paths.
Many thanks to our walkers and their sponsors for all the monies raised totalling over £3700.
Blood pressure and BMI checks at the Heartlink Community Hub
50 Heartlink members and supporters benefited from the offer of blood pressure and BMI checks at our Community Hub session on the 15th May at Greenford Park Community Hall, on Queens Ave. Greenford.
The checks were provided by a team of young pharmacists from nearby Southall Pharmacy. People had tea, coffee, fruit and snacks while waiting for their turn. Everyone was given copies of their results and, in some cases, arrangements were made for people to have follow up checks the next day at the pharmacy itself, followed by referrals to their own GP where this was required.
We wish to extend our huge thanks to Anish and the pharmacy team from Southall Pharmacy located at 13, North Parade, Southall, who provided this service to Heartlink and its members on a voluntary basis, free of charge. They regularly go the extra mile to provide proactive health care to the local community.
The checks followed our normal excellent chair yoga session led by the ever-popular Mr Chana.
Heartlink & Cardiac Research
At the beginning of May, Heartlink members and supporters gathered at Ealing Hospital to hear about developments in cardiac research and to learn about opportunities to get involved themselves. They heard a presentation from Emma Howard and Reinette Hampson from the Northwick Park Research Cardiac Research Charity, which is located at Northwick Park Hospital, part of our local Hospital Trust. The Director of Cardiac Research is Consultant Cardiologist Professor Roxy Senior.
Over the last year, 684 local heart patients have taken part in over 20 studies at the Northwick Park Research Centre, covering areas such as coronary artery disease, heart failure and heart attacks, and including investigations into heart medicines, tests and treatments. As examples of their work in recent years, they told us about their involvement in trials of medicines that have many of us has used, such as Apixaban blood thinner. Many of their studies are particularly aimed at treatments for conditions which affect high numbers in our local, diverse communities.
One area of their work is to help educate local NHS staff who regularly carry out stress echocardiography, known to us as ‘stress echo tests’ so that they can achieve better diagnoses for patients.
They finished the presentation with an invitation to Heartlink members to sign up to be checked for adding to a list of volunteers who can be invited to take part in future studies. There were many takers.
After a lively question & answer session the presenters stayed behind to discuss queries with individual members.
Please see their presentation HERE.
Speading the Word
One of Heartlink’s key roles is to raise awareness about the many different aspects of heart health in our local communities. We go out to meet and talk to people, running presentations and stalls and giving out hundreds of heart health booklets from the British Heart Foundation, as well as our own leaflets. We also promote the Ealing Smokefree Service to help local people give up a habit which is one of the main causes of heart disease and cancer.
In a two week at the end of April, over 20 of our volunteers helped us at four different events where we spread the word about heart health to hundreds of local people. At the Hope Church in Perivale, we ran a Heartlink stall for local people who had been invited to a special event where they were offered a range of health checks by the church community.
At Ealing Gurdwara we were invited by the President and Committee to run a Heartlink stall as part of their important Vaisakhi celebrations, with hundreds talking to us. At Oswald Rd Gurdwara in Southall, we were invited to give a presentation and run a stall for Sunday worshippers. Our Trustee, Dr Harmandeep Singh gave a very well received speech, and we received a generous donation from the Committee to help with our work.
Finally, at Ealing Hospital we ran our two regular weekly stalls, talking to large numbers of patients and visitors, including people sent to the new Community Diagnostic Centre for a range of tests by their GP's.
Learning about CPR and defibrillators
At our 3rd April meeting at Ealing Hospital, Heartlink members and supporters were given a talk by Dr. Harman Singh about CPR and defibrillators. (CPR is Cardio Pulmonary Resuscitation). Over 60 members and supporters turned out for a fascinating lecture at which Dr. Harman explained why we all need to understand about CPR and how to give it to someone in an emergency.
In recent years, the standard guidance for how to undertake CPR has changed and mouth-to-mouth resuscitation is no longer practised. It now involves correctly carried out rapid chest compressions until emergency services arrive. Doctor Harman also opened up Heartlink 's own defibrillator to demonstrate it's simple to use audio instructions. Doctor Harman is a Consultant in Cardiology and Acute Medicine at Ealing Hospital, and he was assisted by Heartlink supporter Cynthia Balabala, who is a Heart Failure Specialist Nurse.
After demonstrating how to carry out CPR, Doctor Harmon took lots of questions from the audience. Then attendees were encouraged to practise CPR technique themselves on one of the four CPR practice dummies at the session.
Everyone enjoyed the interactive nature of the event, and many attendees told us they felt they had gained important knowledge about CPR and defibrillators and have a much better idea of what to do if confronted with an emergency situation.
To watch a video of Dr Harman demonstrating CPR technique see below.
Help for heart failure patients
Sara Tavares who is a Heart Failure Specialist Nurse & Research Assistant, and is based locally at Hanwell Health Centre, gave our March 6th meeting at Ealing Hospital a fascinating presentation about how virtual wards are being used to help some heart failure patients. The meeting was attended by over 50 members and supporters, who asked Sarah dozens of questions after her presentation.
A virtual ward is when patients are monitored at home using a range of simple to use equipment which is connected electronically to a team of medical professionals, who check progress and receive alarms if they are sent. It also includes some face-to-face treatment. For virtual wards to be successful, it helps if patients have supportive family around them at home.
Heart failure is a condition when the heart is unable to pump nutrients and oxygen rich blood around the body and it has a variety of causes. Virtual wards are in use by the NHS to support some patients to stay at home, or to discharge them sooner from hospital. There are benefits to individual patients and to the NHS if people can be looked after well at home.
Sarah is a long time friend and supporter of Heartlink and her presentation is available to view HERE
Volunteers visit Sri Guru Singh Sabha Gurdwara in Southall
Heartlink Trustees and volunteers recently visited Southall’s largest Gurdwara, Sri Guru Singh Sabha, where they received a warm welcome. The visits focused on raising heart health awareness and training Gurdwara volunteers in CPR. Leading the sessions was Trustee Dr. Harmandeep Singh, alongside Dr. Parvinder Garcha, a Trustee and Committee Member at the Gurdwara.
On January 15th, Dr. Harman, with assistance from Ealing Hospital Cardiologist Dr. Jamie Kitt, demonstrated CPR and provided hands-on training to volunteers. This was paired with first aid lessons from local Scout leaders. Meanwhile, Heartlink ran a well-received information stall at the Gurdwara entrance, distributing leaflets and booklets.
On February 2nd, Dr. Harman and Heartlink Committee Member Sunny Chana spoke to a congregation of several hundred about heart health and recovery from major heart conditions. Dr. Garcha followed, explaining Heartlink's role. Heartlink volunteers also ran a busy stall, engaging with visitors and gaining new contacts and members. We were very pleased to be helped by Ealing Councillors Harbhajan and Ranjit Dheer who are key supporters.
While smoking is less common in the Sikh community, the Ealing Smokefree Service sparked strong interest, especially among younger people.
The Future of Heart Treatments
In the evening of 6th February, 60 attendees at the Heartlink meeting at Ealing Hospital learned about exciting advances in AI and its potential to improve heart care for patients and those at risk.
Longtime friend of Heartlink and leading Ealing Hospital Cardiologist, Professor Stuart Rosen gave us a detailed presentation about the potential of AI for cardiology and the benefits it is already bringing. By analysing the large volumes of detailed patient data that is already available, AI can enhance cardiology by
· improving the prediction of heart problems for individuals.
· improving and speeding up the analysis of cardiac tests and imaging including abnormalities in heart rhythms
· helping with the treatment of heart failure
· and in improving the success of heart surgery and interventions.
There is every indication that the next decade will see huge improvements in heart disease detection and treatment.
After questions and discussion, in a lively agenda of updates on other important issues, many members contributed on:
· our plans to explore and clarify patient rights
· Help for our work of raising awareness, especially regarding the Ealing Smokefree Service
· Topics for our future meetings
· Member consultation and involvement in local cardiac service development plans
· Our prostate cancer awareness session at the next Heartlink Community Hub on the afternoon of 20th February
· The new leaflet to promote our Weekly Wednesday Walkers’ group
· The new Heart Health Headlines section on our website
Support for New Year’s Resolutions
Throughout January, Heartlink volunteers at Ealing Hospital offered support to those making "stop smoking" their New Year’s resolution. Every Monday, around 10 volunteers ran two information desks: one at the main hospoital entrance and another at the new Community Diagnostic Centre.
Their focus was to provide advice and information on the Ealing Smokefree service, which offers free nicotine replacement therapy and one-on-one support. Each week, many people stopped by to learn more about the service, including participating pharmacies. In addition, cardiology and respiratory doctors promoted the service in their clinics.
For more details on the Ealing Smokefree Service, click HERE.
Members and supporters enjoy Christmas celebration
A full house of Heartlink members and supporters enjoyed a Christmas Meal and Celebration on 12th December. Once again, the event was hosted at the West Middlesex Golf Club, where cook Danny and his staff prepared our delicious meal. Everyone had a great time chatting and celebrating with friends and fellow members, the majority of whom are local heart patients. The event came at the end of a busy year for Heartlink, as we have gone from strength to strength.
We were joined at the event by our Trustees, Professor Kooner, Dr Amarjit Sethi, Barbara Byrne and new Trustee Dr. Nabeel Ahmed, plus a number of NHS staff/ longtime supporters who look after local patients.
Other key guests were several key community figures who play a vital role in supporting Heartlink. These included previous Mayor of Ealing Councillor Mrs Mohinder Midha, Council Cabinet Member Cllr Polly Knewstub, Councillors Harbajan Dheer and Ranjit Dheer, Councillor Surinder Jassal, and Jaskaran Singh from Southall Community Alliance and the West London Asian Society.
We were also pleased and honoured to be joined by our own Heart Health Ambassador & famous bhangra singer Channi Singh and his daughter Mona.
The event was organised by our Committee Members and a number of attendees went away with great prizes from our Christmas raffle, which raised several hundred pounds for Heartlink.
See MORE PHOTOS in our Photo Gallery HERE
Heartlink out with the Christmas crowds
Over 20 Heartlink members and volunteers helped us run a charity stall at Ealing Broadway Christmas Market on the last two Saturdays before Christmas. We were out and about in the market, raising our profile and talking to hundreds of shoppers, with much positive feedback. We spoke to many people about heart health and actively promoted the Ealing Smokefree Service. We collected several hundreds of pounds in donations to help us with our work.
Our particular thanks to all the volunteers who helped in chilly and breezy conditions. We are also grateful to the Ealing Broadway Shopping Centre for the use of their special Christmas charity stall.
See MORE PHOTOS in our Photogallery - click HERE