The Huddersfield & District Coronary Support Group

History

A Personal Perspective of Heartline

When I was first diagnosed with heart problems in May 1989 very few hospitals employed consultant cardiologists.  This was the case at the Huddersfield Infirmary, where anyone suffering a heart attack would be put under a General Medical Consultant who happened to be around at the time or on duty outside normal hours.  There were just four such consultants in Huddersfield, each consultant tended to have an interest in a particular branch of medicine, there was just one consultant having an interest in cardiology but it was often pot luck if you got him if you were admitted with a heart attack. 

In my case, as I was referred to the hospital by my GP I was lucky he was able to refer me to the best and appropriate consultant for my condition.  I was looked after and diagnosed very well.  After 2 weeks in hospital I was monitored for some time in outpatients and also referred to Leeds for further specialist consultation.  My attendance in outpatient was some years, and until xxxx after appointment of cardiologists.

However, in early years of Heartline I found many people did not get this kind of attention, particularly as there was no rehabilitation system in operation.  When it did come, for some there was only between 17% and 20% of patients nvited to attend rehab classes.

In early 1990 a group of hospital professionals mainly nurses and social services staff working in the hospital decided to look at the type of support given to heart patients and following a visit they made to Barnsley District Hospital to se how a Heart Club, as it was called, operated.  Following this visit they advertised and organised a meeting at the Infirmary to find out how heart victims felt after a heart attack with a view to forming a Support Group.  It was found that a major problem was that patients were simply discharged from hospital without any guidance  - not even a suggestion they should contact their GP, in which case after discharge they felt completely in limbo not knowing what they could or could not do, or being able to talk to someone about their situation.

A lot were treated by family like lifetime invalids particularly by wives.  Spouses or carers were never given any help by the medical profession and no way were they allowed to be present during consultations. 

In view of the above findings it was agreed at the meeting to start a support group.  A volunteer committee was formed and with help from the professionals the first meeting was held at the Barton Unit at St Lukes and a talk was given on healthy eating by the Health Promotion Unit.

From that initial start with a very small grant of £80 we went from strength to strength raising our own funds for many years.  Within about 12 months of launch we were holding 2 exercise sessions per week under the auspice of an organisation called “Look after your heart” they also gave training to some of our members to run the exercises helped by instructors from Kirklees Leisure Services at no charge, at the time, to the group.  We also introduced home visits with help from the hospital social service staff and later came hospital visits to heart patients.

Of course over the years many improvements have been introduced into the health service which could not have been envisaged 18 – 20 years ago, which results in them doing things now Heartline did in the earlier years.

To finalise an important point I would like to make is regarding females who suffer heart problems.  Many people think heart attacks and heart problems are a male thing,  but of course, many females also suffer perhaps we as a group should give some consideration to this misconception.  

Dictated by our former Chairman Mr Dennis Goring