Heartlink thanks Southall Pharmacy
At our Heart Health seminar in the Southall Community Alliance premises at Southall Town Hall on 14th March, Anish and his staff from Southall Pharmacy were good enough to conduct blood pressure tests for many attendees. These tests can be an important indication of whether a person's heart health needs further investigation.
On 9th April, a small group of Heartlink Committee members visited Southall Pharmacy in North Parade, North Road to personally thank Anish and his staff. We presented them with a certificate and a small gift of thanks. We were accompanied by Sunny Chana the Chair of the North Southall Primary Care Network Patient Participation Group (PPG) who facilitated the help they gave us.
Southall Pharmacy is actively developing its role as a community pharmacy, providing relevant advice and care to local people and Heartlink looks forward to continuing to work in partnership with them on our heart health awareness campaign across the local community.
Advice to eat well and improve your heart health
Simple and sustained changes in your eating and drinking habits can greatly reduce your risk of heart problems. This was the message from Emmy West, the speaker at Heartlink’s well attended meeting on 7th March at Ealing Hospital. Emmy is a Cardiac Dietitian with Ealing Cardiac Health Rehabilitation service based at Hanwell Health Centre.
She explained that by reducing your intake of saturated fats and salt, you can help to reduce your blood cholesterol and blood pressure and get real health benefits. There are many delicious alternatives which are not expensive.
It was followed by a lively session of questions and answers which dealt with people's queries and concerns. Heartlink gave all attendees a copy of the NHS healthy ‘Eatwell Guide’ to use at home. Lots more useful information advice about a heart healthy diet is available on this website (see HERE) and also from the British Heart Foundation and NHS websites.
Next Heartlink IT training course starts
Following a successful first course in 2023, Heartlink is starting its second course in early in 2024. The course was developed in partnership with Age UK Ealing and covers IT familiarisation and training.
It is aimed at those who are not familiar with using modern smart devices. The overall objective is to help combat digital exclusion amongst local communities and enable people to use the technology to access and deal with local NHS services, including accessing their own patient records.
13 members and supporters learned to use iPads to benefit from the first course, which was held weekly at our Community Hub location, Greenford Park Community Hall. The second course will be held at the same venue on Thursdays. Contact us if you are interested.
Coping with the stress of heart disease
Heartlink members, most of whom suffer from heart disease and associated problems, heard Dr.Jane Beckford give a range of useful advice on how best to cope with the worry and stress caused by these problems.
Jane is a Counselling Psychologist in the Ealing Cardiac Rehabilitation Team from Imperial College Healthcare, which is based at Hanwell Health Centre. Many of us have a lot of difficulty coping with the worry and depression that being diagnosed causes us. A copy of Jane’s useful presentation is AVAILABLE HERE
The packed meeting of 60 members and supporters also heard a short presentation from Sara Tavares, a Specialist Heart Failure Nurse based at Hanwell Health Centre, inviting relevant members to participate in a research project she is working on regarding ‘heart failure with preserved ejection fraction’. This condition affects a proportion of those people who suffer from heart failure.
Heartlink Members enjoy Christmas Meal at the Golf Club
80 Heartlink members packed out the dining area at West Middlesex Golf Club on 14th December and enjoyed a delicious Christmas meal in great company. Members celebrated the progress Heartlink has made in all areas of its work over the last year. After the food, our raffle raised vital funds for our activities in 2024. We were honoured by several special guests who joined us. These included:
· Councillor Mrs Mohinder Midha, with her husband, who during her year as Mayor worked tirelessly for us.
· Jaskaran Singh from West London Asian Society and Southall Community Alliance, with his wife.
· Councillors Harbajan and Ranjit Dheer, who have been steadfast supporters of Heartlink for many years.
· …and, last but not least, our President, Professor Jaspal Kooner who founded us in 1994 and took time out of his busy schedule to attend.
Heartlink wins Southall Team of the Year
Heartlink was honoured to be awarded Team of the Year by Southall Community Alliance at its Annual Awards Ceremony on Saturday 25th November.
The award is in recognition of our work as a charity to help and support local heart patients and to raise awareness about heart disease in the local community. We have significantly increased our work and initiatives over the last year, and this award encourages us to redouble our efforts.
A group of 10 Heartlink members received the Award on the stage and took full part in a lively and varied award ceremony which recognised a number of local ‘unsung heroes’ and was attended by approximately 200 local people.
We would like to thank the Directors and Board of Southall Community Alliance for this honour. Heartlink members are pictured with Jaskaran Singh, a leading board member, Channi Singh, an internationally famous singer and musician, who is a proud product of the Southall community and our long-time supporter and benefactor Cllr Mrs Mohinder Midha, who presented many of the Awards.
Heartlink Trustees give talks on heart health
Our Heartlink Trustees Dr Harmandeep Singh and Dr Amarjit Sethi between them visited three Southall and Ealing Gurdwaras (places of worship) in late October and early November, to give short talks to the congregations about how to reduce their risks from heart disease.
This forms part of our campaign to raise awareness about heart disease in the wider community.
On each occasion they were supported by a team of Heartlink members who ran a stall and talked to attendees as they arrived and afterwards. We gave out many leaflets and British Heart Foundation advice booklets and did our best to answer people’s questions about heart conditions and risks. The talks were very well received, and a good number of people asked for details about Heartlink & our activities.
The Gurdwaras were those on Western Rd and Havelock Rd, Southall and Drayton Bridge Road, Ealing.
Hub party was a big hit at Christmas
Heartlink’s Community Hub on the Southall/Greenford borders hosted its popular Christmas party on the afternoon of 21st December. Members and supporters were treated to a large selection of sandwiches, snacks, mince pies, cakes, fruit and treats, together with tea, coffee and special Christmas mulled wine. Everyone chatted with old friends and new acquaintances, for some who live on their own, it was a great opportunity to socialise. After the food everyone took part in the raffle and the team memory game. We all congratulated members Dolly and Amrik on their special anniversary. The hugely successful party marked the culmination of the first year of operation of our community hub.
Professor Rosen explains echocardiogram tests
Over 30 Heartlink members and supporters braved atrocious weather conditions to learn about echocardiogram tests from Professor Rosen on the evening of Thursday 4th January, at our first monthly meeting of 2024.
Many attendees had undergone echocardiogram tests themselves and were keen to understand how they work and what useful information they can tell cardiac health specialists. We learned that the different types of echocardiogram tests are some of the most revealing tests carried out to diagnose the main workings of the heart. At the same time, they have negligible risks or side effects, even if repeated many times. However, carrying out the tests requires trained and skilled health professionals. After a fascinating presentation, there was a lively question and answer session with many questions from people who had been the subject of echocardiogram tests themselves.
Click HERE for more information from the British Heart Foundation and to WATCH A VERY INFORMATIVE VIDEO.
Heartlink visits Dairy Meadow Primary School
Heartlink had a wonderful reception from Dairy Meadow Primary School in Southall, and over 50 of it’s year 6 pupils when we visited on 6th December at the invitation of Deputy Head Alex Feldman. We went to talk to them about the heart and heart health as part of their studies about the circulatory system. In the lively question and answer session we were amazed by their level of knowledge and we shared some important heart facts with them. They were also keen to tell us what they know about a healthy diet and lifestyle, and we told them of the risks of lack of exercise, smoking and vaping etc. Many of the children told us that they have family members who suffer from heart problems. We were very pleased to see the school’s own feedback on our visit on their website, see:
https://www.dairymeadowprimary.co.uk/News/Heartlink-Visit-Year-6/
Thank you to Dairy Meadow Primary School and Alex Feldman for an inspiring visit.
Exercise, bingo and food are a hit at the Hub
A full hall of Heartlink members enjoyed the latest session of our Heartlink Community Hub on the afternoon of Thursday 16th November.
The popular Mr Chana led us in chair yoga for half an hour before we broke for some tasty winter food and drinks, followed by a couple of games of bingo. We were joined this time by our key supporter, local Councillor Mrs Mohinder Midha, who in her year as Mayor in 2022/23 raised major funds to help us campaign in the community.
Attendees tell us that the hub is particularly helpful in breaking up the isolation that many of us feel during the cold winter months, and enabling heart patients and others to chat about their problems in relaxed and informal surroundings.
The hub is held on the 3rd Thursday of every month at Greenford Park Community Hall at 18 Queens Ave, UB6 9BX, situated near to Greenford centre and Southall. Queens Ave is very close to Greenford Road, the Golf Links Estate and Dormers Wells and is on major bus routes 282, 92 and E5.
Healthchecks for lorry drivers
On 11th October a team of Heartlink volunteers were invited to the Heston Depot of Quattro (UK) Ltd to carry out basic health checks on over 30 lorry and concrete mixer truck drivers. The Heartlink team included five volunteer health professionals who carried out blood pressure and heart rhythm checks. Drivers were given a copy of their results and were recommended to contact their GPs if the tests raised any concerns. All of them were given helpful British Heart Foundation advice leaflets and details of Heartlink. The invitation was made by management at the Depot to help their staff to be alerted to possible heart health issues. The initiative is part of our work to raise heart health awareness in the community.
AGM marks step forward for Heartlink
Over 60 Heartlink members and supporters endorsed the Chairman's report covering our progress since 2021 and elected a 10-strong committee to run Heartlink for the next year. It also endorsed an impressive group of senior medical staff to serve as our Trustees, including our president, Professor Kooner.
The highly successful Annual General Meeting was held at West Middlesex Golf Club on 5th October and was followed by refreshments, a raffle and a good chat and catch up amongst attendees.
The AGM was Heartlink’s first since 2019 due to all the problems created by Covid, and the meeting paid tribute to a number of long-standing members and supporters who we had lost over that period.
Unlike many heart support groups, Heartlink survived the Covid crisis, maintaining whatever support to members that could be provided. Since fully restarting activities in early 2022 Heartlink has gone from strength to strength, running our regular meetings & our hospital information desk, setting up our community hub, organising social events and moving out to raise heart awareness in the community.
This has been due to the dedication and support of members and volunteers, and in particular:
· The successful work to set us up as a Registered Charity
· Huge support from our Trustees
· The support of the then Mayor of Ealing, Councillor Mrs Mohinder Midha in making us her chosen charity and campaigning for us
We were very pleased to be able to thank Councillor Midha in person as she attended the AGM and gave us a speech of support and encouragement.
All the attendees showed their huge appreciation of Trevor Davison, who has been Chairman since 2015 and a committee member since 1996. As people said, without Trevor and all he has done for us, Heartlink would not exist today. Trevor stepped down as chairman but will remain as an active committee member and was given a thank-you gift by the meeting.
Heartlink Stall at Sikh religious festival in Northolt
On the weekend of 9th & 10th September, a large team of Heartlink members put together and ran a well-received Heartlink stall at the Sant Ishar Singh Ji Smagam. The event was held at the SKLP Sports and Community Centre and attended by several thousand Sikh worshippers. Our team made good use of the Heartlink gazebo in what was at times blistering heat over the weekend and shared our space with Krishanjit and our friends from the Pingalwara Charity. A lot of people joined us for a chat and to find about more about Heartlink. Many thanks to Dolly and Amrick, who kept us well fed over the weekend, and Mohinder who coordinated all our arrangements.
Heartlink members get CPR training
Over 50 enthusiastic Heartlink members took part in an interactive CPR training session at our meeting at Ealing Hospital on the 7th September. The session was organised and introduced by Doctor Harmandeep Singh, Heartlink Trustee and Consultant in Cardiology and Acute Medicine at Ealing Hospital. He explained that being able to perform CPR on a heart attack victim can sometimes enable you to save their life while waiting for emergency services to arrive. He showed us some informative British Heart Foundation videos about CPR, answered questions and then demonstrated it using a special manikin (dummy).
Then groups of attendees tried the CPR technique themselves on one of four available manikins. They were each shown and advised by medical staff and friends of Heartlink, who had attended to help with the training. We would like to thank Eve Maylas, Ben Jackson, Gary La Touche and Adelle who came along to help us with the practical training.Following the success of this, we intend to do more training sessions for members at our future meetings.
Ealing Mayor presents cheque for our heart health programme
At a ceremony in the Council chamber at Ealing Town Hall on 17th August, Councillor Mrs Mohinder Midha presented Heartlink with a cheque for a huge £22,516. This represented the funds she had raised for us as her selected charity during her mayoral year, which ended in May. She did tireless and fantastic work throughout her year, getting donations and organising a large number of fundraising events, including celebration dinners. She was ably supported by Cheryl and the staff in the Mayor’s office.
A team of 15 Heartlink members were welcomed to the ceremony by the Mayor, her husband, Southall MP Virendra Sharma, long standing Heartlink supporters Councillors Harbajan and Ranjit Dheer, together with major donors from the Western Rd Gurdwara. Other major donors and fundraisers included staff from the Southall branch of Barclays Bank.
Heartlink chairman Trevor Davison thanked the Mayor for the huge effort she has made and presented her with an inscribed heart-shaped crystal plaque and a framed certificate of thanks. Heartlink representatives told the Mayor that the funds will be used to create a legacy for her efforts, by developing and extending our campaign to raise awareness of heart disease in the community. We shall involve her and her husband with us in this.
Fittingly, the ceremony was also attended by the wife and daughter of the late and much missed former Mayor Tejinder Dhami, who also raised substantial funds for us as his chosen charity,
in 2018-19.
For more PHOTOS see our Photo Gallery HERE.
Heartlink honours a great supporter and community leader
On a lovely warm summer morning on 12th June at Ealing Hospital, Heartlink held a well-attended ceremony in honour of
Councillor Tejinder Singh Dhami. During his term as Mayor of Ealing in 2018-19, Tejinder, who was a heart patient himself, adopted Heartlink as one of his chosen charities and raised many thousands of pounds for us.
This was used to purchase monitors for heart failure patients and items for the Cardiac ward at the hospital. During the period of the pandemic, these funds were crucial in keeping Heartlink functioning and were used to provide oximeters and oxygen concentrators. Sadly, Tejinder passed away in 2021 after many years of service to the local community and 20 years as a councillor..
At the ceremony, Councillor Mrs Mohinder Midha, who has just completed her own term as Mayor of Ealing, cut the ribbon on a new bench at the hospital entrance inscribed in honour of Tejinder. Tejinder’s wife, Rajinder Kaur Dhami unveiled a plaque in his memory in the Cardiology Clinic on Level 2. The ceremony was attended by Tejinder’s family and friends, ex colleagues from Ealing Council, Hospital staff and Trust representatives, as well as Heartlink members. The attendees heard tributes to Tejinder from his daughter, Neelam Kaur Dhami, Councillor Mrs Midha, Heartlink President Professor Jaspal Kooner and supporter Professor Stuart Rosen, plus Heartlink Chairman, Trevor Davison.
Tejinder’s invaluable fundraising work for Heartlink has been continued by his family, who raised £6000 for us in his memory, and by councillor Mrs Midha, who also adopted Heartlink as her Mayoral Charity for the year just gone.
After the ceremony, the attendees chatted and had light refreshments in the upper entrance area of the hospital.
The beautiful new Inscribed bench will remind us of Tejinder every time we enter or leave the hospital.
For more PHOTOS see our Photo Gallery HERE.
Hospital Chiefs welcome Heartlink as partner
A well-attended Heartlink meeting at Ealing Hospital on 2nd March heard Pippa Nightingale, Chief Executive of the NHS Trust which includes Ealing Hospital, and Nigel Stephens, Director of Cardiology for the Trust, talk about plans for the Hospital and the Trust, and respond to areas of concern raised by members.
There are exciting plans to open a new ‘Integrated Diagnostic Hub’ at the Hospital in coming months. This new facility will deliver a huge improvement to services for the public and will also address a major area of concern raised by many members. In future, patients will visit the new hub and be able to have a range of diagnostic tests such as MRIs, CT scans, blood tests etc. on a single visit, hugely speeding up the diagnostic process for patients and avoiding multiple visits.
It is hoped that the implementation of a new digital care record system in the Trust, as part of a national initiative, will help tackle problems about access to patients’ own records, including to test results, and end the confusing use of different hospital numbers by adopting the person’s NHS number.
We raised the problems many members have with digital communications from the Trust, such as appointment and consultation letters, emails and texts, which require modern technology to read, which they cannot use.
Heartlink voiced their appreciation of staff in Cardiology and across the Trust and the commitment they show to patients and local communities.
Both the Chief Executive and the Director of Cardiology voiced their strong support for the work that Heartlink does and said that they want to welcome us into the Hospital to support cardiology patients, many of whom need the support we provide. They stated that they see us as a key partner, helping them to shape services for local patients in the future.
Heartlink Trustee Professor Rosen, Senior Cardiologist at Ealing, thanked them for their support and attendance and said that the meeting was a big step forward in our working relationship with the Trust.
Our thanks to everyone who attended and particularly to Ben Jackson, Cardiac Cath Lab Superintendent Radiographer for helping to set up the meeting.
Pippa Nightingale, Trust Chief Executive, speaking at the meeting.