British Heart Foundation

The issue

Heart and circulatory diseases are the world’s biggest killers, but despite the devastation they cause, it is an area of medical research that remains underfunded.

Heart and circulatory diseases affect 7.6 million people in the UK – all these conditions can be devastating for both the individual and their loved ones.

Tragically, heart and circulatory diseases are responsible for killing one in four people in the UK. The impact affects us all.

Thankfully, the tireless work of the NHS combined with research and support from leading charities like the British Heart Foundation is making a difference - saving lives, tackling health inequalities and helping people in their hour of need.

Each year, colleagues from the Croda group of companies put forward a range of charities working in the Croda Foundation’s priority areas to be selected as the Charity of the Year. The British Heart Foundation are the 2021/22 winners – selected for their high impact work in this vital area.

Find out more about how Croda Foundation’s Charity of the Year is chosen here.

British Heart Foundation

The British Heart Foundation (BHF) is a UK-based charity that funds research into heart and circulatory diseases. For over 60 years, it has funded ground-breaking science to discover new treatments, and lifesaving prevention initiatives as well as vital support programmes for those living with heart and circulatory diseases. 

The BHF’s vision is for a world free from the fear of heart attacks, vascular dementia, and strokes, where heart failure can be prevented, and babies born with poorly hearts can be cured.

Find out more about the British Heart Foundation here.

The project

The British Heart Foundation has been awarded £25,000 as Croda Foundation's Charity of the Year.

The grant will go towards BHF’s Patients First services which is a combination of Heart Helpline, an online support hub of digital resources which is continually being adapted and updated to be accessible to anyone in the world and peer support groups which connect people in their time of need. 

Demand for the BHF’s services has increased significantly during the worst of the pandemic due to evidence being shown that some people with heart and circulatory diseases were at a higher risk of becoming seriously ill from Covid-19. The Patients First programme is invaluable, supporting their physical and mental wellbeing. 

One person who received support from BHF was Bettina Wallace: “I spoke to a very warm and friendly person on the BHF’s Heart Helpline. She listened to me, asking appropriate questions and was able to point me in the right direction,” she said. “I felt completely at ease and I came to understand my condition much better. I was actually told the name of my faulty valve, and was reassured that if an operation was deemed necessary (while every operation comes with some risks) the operation is routinely carried out. Thank you to the Heart Helpline.”

Through the BHF’s Heart Helpline, expert cardiac nursers help with queries and concerns about heart and circulatory diseases, and their risk factors. The BHF cardiac nursers give the time, information and support that will help people living with these diseases and their loved ones to understand the details of their condition, treatments, test results, medications and more. 

To cater for people who prefer digital channels and instant responses, there is a chat box and live chat function which offers an easy way to answer simple queries, as well as offering a call-back from a specialist cardiac nurse. 

HealthUnlocked, BHF’s online network brings together members to share their own experiences and information. To help support children and young people born with congenital heart disease, the BHF run two youth support programmes which bring together young heart patients to learn new skills, grow in confidence and connect with others in similar situations. 

To support people from the very beginning of the pandemic, the BHF created a Coronavirus Information Hub which is constantly being updated to reflect the changing rules, providing up-to-date information and support on what coronavirus means for people with heart and circulatory diseases.

Impact

A contribution towards the Heart Helpline

340 calls per week
60 emails per week
25 live chats per week
10.5 minutes per call