Cardiology patients at East Lancashire Hospitals NHS Trust (ELHT) will benefit from 10 essential pieces of equipment made possible thanks to a donation to the hospital’s charity ELHT&Me.
The new ECG monitoring devices – smaller than a mobile phone – enables monitoring to be done from the comfort of a patient’s home.
They have been gifted to the Cardiology Department at ELHT, thanks to an enormous donation of £2m received from The Kay Family Foundation last November.
The money has been distributed across numerous departments, to enable enhancements in patient care and cutting-edge technology that will have an impact for years to come.
The Cardiology Department based at Royal Blackburn Teaching Hospital, Burnley General Teaching Hospital and Rossendale Primary Health Care Centre provides a comprehensive cardiac service for adults and children with both acute and chronic heart conditions.
Cardiology Department Service Lead, Lynsey Hanna said: “The non-invasive ECG monitoring devices are vital pieces of equipment that help to detect heart rhythm disturbances and support diagnosis in patients presenting with symptoms such as chest pain, shortness of breath, syncope or palpitations.
“Fitted in department, the monitor consists of three small wires and adhesive stickers which attach to the patient’s chest. They go home wearing it so their heart rhythm and rate can be monitored during their normal routine – anything from 24 hours to 14 days, depending on the symptoms they present – until they return with the device for their follow-up appointment.
“These additional monitors have made a huge difference.”
The patient wears them for either 24 hours, 28 hours, 72 hours, seven or 14 days. They feel no pain or discomfort and can sleep in them but can’t shower or bath as that will damage it. The patient is encouraged to carry on as normal as the point of the test is to monitor their heart rate during their normal day.
Ashley Walton, 29, from Blackburn had a monitor fitted following an unexplained loss of consciousness accompanied by slurred speech. After being blue lighted to the Emergency Department at Blackburn, Ashley was back to his normal self but had follow-up tests and fitted with the ECG to wear for 24 hours to help clinicians reach a timely and accurate diagnosis.
He said: “It was fine wearing the ECG. I went about my day as normal and slept OK too – I forgot it was there! I was fitted with it just four weeks after my episode which was fast and a relief to know that this piece of equipment is available and will help to try and find out what happened to me that night.”
Thanks to The Kay Family Foundation’s gift to enable the department to buy the extra devices, more patients like Ashley will continue to benefit for years to come – something the Cardiology Department is thrilled about.
Lynsey adds: “Generosity like this doesn’t happen every day.
“The Kay Family Foundation has offered a real lifeline to patients with debilitating symptoms. The more equipment we have, the more people we can test, diagnose and treat sooner.
“My team and I are so grateful—we honestly can’t thank them enough for their generosity and support.”
Thanks to The Kay Family Foundation’s generous support, these additional monitors will ensure that many more patients across East Lancashire continue to benefit from quicker access to essential cardiac testing for many years to come.
If you would like to support the hospital charity through a donation or organising a fundraising event, please visit www.elhtandme.co.uk
