PHSG Autumn 2013 by Poole Heart Support Group

Autumn 2013 ÂŁ2 Free to Members

Here to help Affiliated to the British Heart Foundation and Arrhythmia Alliance - The Heart Rhythm Charity

POOLE HEART SUPPORT GROUP MAGAZINE Poole Community Health Centre Shaftesbury Road, Poole BH15 2NT Telephone: 01202 683363 ext. 133 Telephone manned Mondays and Thursdays: 1:30-3:30pm Web site address: www.poolehsg.org.uk PRESIDENT: Dr. ANDREW MCLEOD V.Ps. Dr CHRISTOPHER BOOS MBBS Dip IMC RCS (Ed) MD FRCP RAMC : Dr. DIANE BRUCE MB Bsc.Hons FRCP : ROBERT PAYNE RGN, RHV, BSc Hons, PG Dip PGCE MAGGIE RICHARDSON : JIM WAINE : GEOFFREY WALKER OBE JP RGN,

PHSG COMMITTEE KEITH MATTHEWS DAVID ANDERSON RITA HOLMES GEORGE LLEWELLYN JAN MESHER JOHN OFFER DEREK POPE ROBIN PRINGLE ROGER RIDOUT GEORGE WILKINSON PAM BAILEY

Chairman Secretary Treasurer Monthly Meets Office Member Database Exercise Coord Purbeck Member BHF Rep.

keith@poolehsg.org.uk david@poolehsg.org.uk rita@poolehsg.org.uk geoll@poolehsg.org.uk jan@poolehsg.org.uk derek@poolehsg.org.uk robin@poolehsg.org.uk roger@poolehsg.org.uk

01202 855001 01202 697376 01202 743960 01202 605455 01202 250108 01202 386674 01202 889070 01202 884250 01929 423079 01202 740374 01202 574944

If you know a member who is ill, please tell us by contacting Mavis Terry, Welfare Support, on 01202 874760

OTHER CONTACTS JOHN DEFTY CYRIL MARTIN DAVID ANDERSON JIM WAINE GERRY WRIGHT

Chat Stops Walking Group Website Founder and VP Special events

david@poolehsg.org.uk jim@poolehsg.org.uk gerry@poolehsg.org.uk

01202 760350 01202 733956 01202 687376 01202 871532 01929 421864

Please send magazine articles and photos to: Editor, 10 Hill View Road, Ferndown, Dorset BH22 9QY or by e-mail to; editor@poolehsg.org.uk Tel. 01202 855001 Magazines are published 1st March, 1st June, 1st September and 1st December. Last date for articles to Editor is 10th day of month before publication.

Chairman’s Letter We have a new defibrillator! Let’s explain. Two years ago we bought two Cardiac Science machines, one to replace the ageing Agilent Heartstring that the Walking Group carried around with them, and the other for the Swanage group; they raised the money for it. The Cardiac Science machines, which were recommended to us at the time by the ambulance services, are fine instruments but turned out to be unexpectedly heavy and the walkers were really having a problem finding members strong enough to carry it.

John Bagnall did some research and had demonstrated a Physio-Control Lifepak, a much lighter machine. We were helped to purchase it by a legacy of £403 left to us in memory of long term member Charlie Cox for which we are truly grateful. Robin Pringle writes of this in his notes. Here is Cyril showing off the new machine. Now the walkers can relax a bit, it is half the weight of the Cardiac Science machine. The Cardiac Science will now be placed at our Lytchett Minster venue as they do not already have one. As an end-note; This little magazine fills itself up readily enough, and there is always a joke or two to cram into the odd spaces, but we would like to hear from other members. Do you have a story, an expertise, an anecdote to share with us? We would love to hear from you, just email it through.

Keith 3

PHSG Magazine

Medicine and Cardiology News from Poole Hospital NHS Foundation Trust Dear Friends, Well summer is all but over and the autumn and winter lies ahead but I am sure you have all enjoyed the good weather this summer unlike previous ones. Here we have been working to progress the new extension to the cardiology department and hopefully this can commence soon. It will allow the diagnostic areas to expand and also provide us with a seminar room for teaching and meetings. Professor Kim Greaves has now left for a new post in Australia and we have two new consultants Dr John Paul Carpenter and Dr Christopher Steadman, they have only just started and so will ask them to write an article for the next edition about themselves and role. As you are aware from my last article we have two new nursing roles that of Cardiology Specialist Nurse and Heart Failure and Arrhythmia specialist nurse. Both members of staff have provided an article for the magazine about themselves, which you can read in the centre pages. The Matrons at Poole including myself were invited to lunch at the Mayor of Pooleâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s parlour in July to thank us for the work we have done on patient care and redesign of services. It was really nice and we received certificates from the Mayor in recognition of this. Patient care is of paramount importance to us all at Poole and we have just had a very positive Care Quality Commission (CQC) visit regarding this. The CQC inspect hospitals to look at care delivery and all aspects associated with this. They were impressed with Poole, and in my areas or responsibility visited Arne (A4) ward and were able to talk to all levels of staff about the work and what they did. One thing that they picked out was the fact that staff enjoyed working here at Poole and were happy in their job, which I am sure you will agree, has a positive influence on patient care and experience. With such issues as the Mid-Staffordshire scandal and the Francis report about this high in the media, ensuring standards are high and patient care excellence is a real priority, as the NHS works to regain its credibility as a World class service. Our quality service group goes from strength to strength monitoring care and new initiatives here at the Hospital in Medicine and Cardiology. I cannot thank enough all the members who spend their time and effort to come in and support myself and my team.

PHSG Magazine

Also in general medicine we are continuing to expand the services on the Medical Investigations Unit which now is seeing up to 180 patients per week. We also now have a dedicated lead nurse within the Hospital for Alcohol and Addictions who comes under my remit, he is doing an excellent job supporting patients and clients and the service is providing very positive outcomes. So as you can see it’s as busy as ever here in the Hospital and I look forward to continuing with the work we undertake here and keeping in touch with you all to tell you all about it. Until next time please keep healthy and well.

Geoffrey Walker OBE JP RGN Matron Cardiology and Medicine. Poole Hospital NHS Foundation Trust. ADVERTISEMENT

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PHSG Magazine

Dr Christopher Boos Cardioversion for Atrial Fibrillation In this issue I thought I would present a quick overview of cardioversion for atrial fibrillation (AF). Cardioversion is the process by which the normal rhythm of the heart is restored. It can be performed using antiarrhythmic medication or via an electric shock. The latter is termed direct current cardioversion (DCCV) and uses an electric shock delivered from a defibrillator. This method is used if you have been in AF for more than a few days. Generally to be suitable for this procedure a number of key criteria need to be met. You will need to be anticoagulated (using blood thinning medication such as warfarin not aspirin) for at least 4 weeks before and after the procedure. As the procedure involves a very short acting general anaesthetic (GA) one would need to be ‘fit’ for an GA in order to be considered for this procedure. DCCV is most suitable for those who have symptomatic AF despite adequate heart rate control or where rate control cannot be achieved. It is preferable to reserve this procedure for those who have been in AF for less than 1 to 2 years or where AF has been triggered by an infection or recent surgery, as it is far less successful with those in ‘long-term’ AF. In preparation for the procedure you will require the following hospital tests: blood tests; an ECG and an echocardiogram. An echocardiogram is an ultrasound scan of your heart, which provides a clear image of your heart muscles and valves to show how well your heart is working. The DCCV itself usually takes less than 10 minutes after you’re given the GA. Once you’re asleep, your doctor will give you a brief, controlled electric shock to your heart, usually through two pads placed on your chest that come from a defibrillator device. Your heart rate and rhythm is monitored throughout the procedure, so your doctor can see immediately if the procedure has reset your heart to its normal rhythm. You may receive up to two more electric shocks to reset your heart if the first attempt is unsuccessful. The overall procedure success at Poole is 90% or better, but there is a definite chance of AF recurrence in the future (approximately 50% within one year), hence careful patient selection is important. The procedure is generally safe and the risk of a major complication during the procedure is less than 0.5%. After the procedure you will need to rest for about an hour until the effects of the GA have passed. You will be able to go home once your heart rhythm is stable and you have fully recovered. You will need to arrange for someone to drive you home. After a GA, you should try to have a friend or relative stay with you for the first 24 hours. GA temporarily affects your co-ordination and reasoning skills, so you must not drive, drink alcohol, operate machinery or sign legal documents for 24 hours afterwards.

PHSG Magazine

PHSG Monthly Meetings - Diary Dates All Talks (except December) at Poole Hospital Postgraduate Centre at 7:30pm

All PHSG talks are free! Aug 22nd Walking Treasure Hunt in Poole. Meet Sainsbury Car Park, Pitwines, Poole at 18:30. (Parking £1.50 but you get this back if you do some shopping too!) Sept 19th Some Glimpse of Stocking - Bob Curtis Oct 17th A Medical Talk. More details will be on the eNews when we have “tied down” a suitable consultant. Nov 21st Vice President Geoffrey Walker. Dec 19th (Probably) 11:00 Table Quiz at Canford

George Llewellyn ADVERTISEMENT

PHSG Magazine

Monthly Talks

Organised by George Llewellyn

June Talk - Nick R. Thomas We were lucky to get such an experienced speaker as Nick R. Thomas, and he offered an excellent subject. Nick has visited us before. He is scriptwriter for BBC radio comedy shows and a presentation skills trainer lecturing at the local collage. So he should be good. The subject was Groucho Marx, a very fertile area for humour and he not only regaled us with quips and anedotes from Groucho but his brother and his Nick R. Thomas leading ladies. I’ll leave you with a few quotes: Politics is the art of looking for trouble, finding it everywhere, diagnosing it incorrectly and applying the wrong remedies. One morning I shot an elephant in my pyjamas. How he got in my pyjamas I'll never know. He may look like an idiot and talk like an idiot but don't let that fool you. He really is an idiot.” If a black cat crosses your path, it signifies that the animal is going somewhere and of course, probably, his most famous; I sent the club a wire stating, Please accept my resignation. I don’t want to belong to any club that will accept me as a member.”

George

PHSG Magazine

July Talk - Bonny Sartin As George Llewellyn was unable to host the meeting, I was roped in as a replacement. Having picked up the keys from the “Post Grad Office” on Wednesday I was confident that everything would go to plan. Arriving at the centre at about 6:30 my wife and I were surprised to find that the end part of the large room which we normally use, had a meeting in progress. Not going to go to plan! I was gently ushered out by one of the ladies who said there had been a double booking (strange, they didn’t mention it the previous day) and we could either use the one end of the room or take the lecture theatre. I chose the theatre as I thought Bonny’s presentation would be disruptive to the meeting and we are guests in the Post Grad Centre so it seemed best not to rock the boat! Derek as MC Bonny Sartin was next to arrive and I helped him into the lecture theatre with some of his equipment. It seemed warm but not too hot in there but we found a switch which claimed to work the air conditioning, pressed it and although noises started it seemed to make absolutely no difference. We were told later that all of the air conditioning in the hospital had been turned off – except in essential areas – to save money. It was a warm night and at least the theatre didn’t have windows which had been letting the sunshine in all day long. Pam arrived with Keith and the tea things and they went into the kitchen so that Pam could start to get things organised. Meanwhile Bonny set up his stall (with items for sale) in the theatre and spent some time chatting to Robin who had also arrived. Members arrived in ones and twos but we only had about fifteen in attendance by 7:30 when I introduced Bonny and he started his presentation. As you will have seen, it was billed as “A Talk and Songs by Bonny Sartin of the Yetties” in the magazine, though the newsletter said “Songs and Bonny & Rabbit Poems” which was a more apt description.

PHSG Magazine

Bonny talked about his time growing up in Dorset, many of the songs and some of his poetry is based on his early life. We were treated to tales from his boyhood, a selection of songs – with ample opportunities to join in the choruses – and a number of amusing poems. After an hour of entertainment, I could tell that Bonny needed a break and I was certainly in need of a “cuppa” so Pam and my wife Margaret went off to the kitchen. The other meeting had finished so we were able to gather around the kitchen door for teas/coffees/squash and biscuits, which was useful as food and drinks are not allowed in the theatre. Many people seemed to want to chat so we stayed there and folks slowly drifted away. Unfortunately, this being my only attempt at running a post grad meeting, I completely forgot about the raffle and with people already starting to leave, there seemed no point in running it. My apologies to George and Margaret who had come along primarily to run the raffle for us. Pam’s drinks and bikkies service was, as usual, much appreciated by the gathering and probably saved some of us having to head straight to the nearest pub afterwards. Since we hadn’t reorganised any furniture there was nothing left to do except see people out and help Bonny take his stuff back to his car. Leaving the keys and the key card in the post grad centre letterbox, we left the building and headed for home. Phew!

Derek

PHSG Magazine

Help!

Help! Gulp!

At a recent meeting at the Post Grad Centre, I think it was the night that the man from Upton House didn’t turn up. I was talking to two members, husband and wife, and the husband offered to do a talk on his experiences as a police officer,. “ A Policeman’s lot is not a happy one” As anybody who knows me well will realise that I am extremely well organised, so it won’t come a shock to hear that I have LOST your details. Please get in contact so that we can set up a date for next year. Many thanks

George Llewellyn What do you call an economist with a prediction? Wrong.!

PHSG Magazine

My Boots Were Made for Walking! by Eric Bullen Sadly, I am not doing justice to my new boots; about 15 miles to date, having been knocked sideways by an almighty reaction to my medication called "MYOSITIS", which attacked my muscles and left me in a lot of discomfort and pain 24/7. Before I go any further, I know what you are ready saying: "What muscles? It's all flab!", and that you are thinking that I have always been a pain in the ass! I totally agree. I am not going to use this as an excuse not to carry the Defibrillator though, I might keep my options open! My apologies to anyone who turned out for "Walk For Life" and I was not there. I am now starting the seventh week and I have been out on my own a few times, mainly to go shopping where I can get about with the aid of a zimmer i.e, a shopping trolley. Hopefully, I can get round a few Public Houses in the near future and enjoy your company whilst having a meal without doing the walk. Eric ADVERTISEMENT

PHSG Magazine

by Derek Pope

PHSG Skittles Evening

For our Summer skittles night in June, we had five teams of six turn out and we started playing at 7pm to get through as many rounds as possible. The room had been set out very nicely for the number of teams we had, with five tables laid for six arranged at diagonals to the alley (hmmm, thoughts of Harry Potter came to mind then, I wonder why?). It was apparent that there was not enough room for a sixth team, so I will only be looking for five teams at future meets. John Cutler (who won almost everything last time round) captained “Cutler’s Crew”; Jenny Noon was the non-playing captain of the “Crocodiles”; Judith Deadman captained the “Dorset Dawdlers” again; Mike Cawley captained the “Has Beens” and my wife Margaret captained the “Merley Marauders”. Pin setters had already been nominated by the captains and I asked each team to go to the head of the alley when it was their turn to bowl so that we didn’t lose time waiting for people to get from their seat to the alley. This worked very well and gave the teams the opportunity to encourage (or hassle) their colleagues and to offer advice where they thought it was necessary. This often resulted in a fair bowler missing all of the pins, much to the entertainment of everyone. At the end of the first round the “Crocodiles” had a clear lead with a team score of 35 while the “Dorset Dawdlers”, dawdled at 20. The highest individual scores were Alistair Allcroft and Denise White (both in MM) who each scored 8 points. Towards the end of the second round, the food began to arrive so we all munched away for a while on a selection of delicacies from “Chicken Balti” or “Linguine” through to “Ploughman’s” or “Hickory Chicken” (the most popular dish with 11 ordered). Everyone seemed to enjoy their For those who are interested in the Walking Group, we walk every 10 days on Wednesdays and Saturdays from 2 to 5 miles. Some of us round off the day’s walk with a Pub lunch – Pleasure after pain! If you require more information or the Walking Book (£3) please contact me on 01202 733956. Cyril, Walks Coordinator.

PHSG Magazine

food and I was relieved to see I had ordered the correct number of dishes and everyone had remembered what they ordered. Play resumed and the second round finished with “Cutler’s Crew” having scored 34 while “Dorset Dawdlers” had improved to 25. Roy White in MM had the highest score in this round with 9. The third round finished with “Dorset Dawdlers” having raced along to 37, equalling “Cutler’s Crew”. “Crocodiles” had slipped to last place for the round with 26. In this final round, Harry Bridges (Cutler’s Crew) and David Deadman (Dorset Dawdlers) each managed to score 9. All of the totalling completed, the “Merley Marauders” won with 102; “Cutler’s Crew” were a close second with 98; “Crocodiles” were midtable with 91; “Has Beens” proved they still have some get-up-and-go with 89 and “Dorset Dawdlers” finished on 82, an excellent score following their slow start, we expect great things from them next time! The “wooden spoon” went to Cyril Martin, but as leader of the walking group he had doubtless trudged his way from home and was going to return the same way. The “best lady” prize went to Sheena Parkin of “Crocodiles” and we had to find a second prize for Judy James who came along with “Crocodiles” but played as sub for the “Has Beens”, both ladies scored 18 points. The “best man” prize went to Roy White of “Merley Marauders” with an impressive 22 scored. After the prizes had been distributed, we had some time left to play “Killer” where we set up nine pins and successive players bowled a single wood at whatever was left by the last player. Once they had all been knocked over then the nine pins were set up again. Each of the people who wanted to play put 20 pence in a pot and most people bowled. We didn’t allow any extra ‘lives’ so that if someone missed all of the skittles, they were knocked out. The competition went quite quickly and Sheena Parkin was victorious, taking the little silver cup with a bunch of 20 pence pieces. The “Knockout” cup now has a turned base, courtesy of John Cutler who won it last time. Many thanks John! If anyone knows the whereabouts of the other little silver cup which I scruffily engraved for the winning skittle team, last seen a couple of years ago, please let me know. We will probably organise another skittle night at Cobham so watch out for announcements in the magazine and in David Anderson’s e-Mail newsletters. Next time, I will make sure it also goes into the calendar on the website. If anyone is interested in organising a skittle night at a different venue, please feel free to do so, I’m willing to help out with forms and organisational details if you need it.

Derek

PHSG Magazine

Membership Matters

by Derek Pope

Well here we are heading into the autumn following a partially glorious summer. We presently have 618 full members, 304 partners, 44 honorary members and 11 committee members. There are 424 people who have registered their email address, and please do so if you havenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t already so that we can keep you informed of changes which occur between the magazine publications. Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve been pleased to see that a number of early members (the group started in 1992!) have nominated their partner so that the information can be included in the database, partners are then entitled to come along to PHSG events, talks and exercise classes. Sometimes people ask to have their partner (spouse, relative or friend) included when we already have that information on the database. I think confusion arises because the labels I print for the magazines to be delivered only show the member details. It is difficult with the way that the data is organised to include member and partner details on the label so only the member is shown. Also, there are some members where their nominated partner is a friend or relative at a different address and it could be confusing to have them included on the label. Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve been short of time to process all of the renewals which have come in, so even people who have not sent in their renewals will receive the Autumn magazine this time. Please note that if you have not renewed then you are no longer entitled to attend exercise classes or social events and your details will be removed from the system before the Winter magazine is distributed. It is always pleasing to see that many people are kind enough to include a donation with their renewal and the committee would like to thank you all for your generosity as this helps us to continue with our work for all of our members. Derek

PHSG Magazine

Know your Trainers

By Robin Pringle

This is Livvy Inglis who only takes the one class for us and that is at Lytchett Minster Sports Centre on a Thursday evening at 6.30pm. That is because the rest of her work is carried out at Blandford and in North Dorset where she runs classes for “Knees Up” which is an independent arm of the Blandford Heart Support Group. Livvy also runs pulmonary classes there. We first became aware of Livvy when she was looking for holiday cover for her classes. We felt we could work together and she took on one of our classes at Lytchett and, as a quid pro quo, our own Jayne provides her with holiday and sickness cover for the North Dorset classes. Livvy is a Dorset girl having been brought up at Bovington and attending school at Wareham and Purbeck. She is married to Pete and they have two children, Simon 15, and Freya 11. Livvy originally worked for a firm of Property Developers in Marketing and Project Management. In her spare time when she is not attending to her family and work commitments she is keen on her own keep fit, running and gardening. A life changing event took place in 2007 when she suffered a heart attack and received a triple by-pass operation at Southampton. Livvy had always been athletic but this one event changed things forever. She enrolled with The Wright Foundation and qualified for the work she now undertakes. She is now extending that qualification by financing herself to obtain BACPR Phase 4. Having been through the cardiac hoop herself she has a lot in common with her charges at Lytchett. Livvy, like all other converts, very firmly believes in the healthy heart through exercise. Her boys at Lytchett enjoy her very active classes so much so they considered a logo to put on their shirts “I’ve been Livvied” I am sure that anyone wishing to take up the challenge would be welcome at Livvy’s Lytchett classes.

Robin

PHSG Magazine

PHSG Exercise Venues All sessions last 1 hour Ashdown School Sports

Canford School Sports

Monday Tuesday Wednesday Friday

12:00 09:30 09:30 09:30

Monday Tuesday Thursday Friday

09:00 09:00 09:00 09:00

10:30 10:30 10:00 10:00 10:00 10:00

Ferndown Sports

Monday 10:30 Wednesday 10:30

Hamworthy Fire Station

Monday

10:00

Hearts on Seats,Broadstone

Thursday

14:00

Images, Lower Parkstone

Wednesday 11:00 Friday 11:00

Lytchett Minster Sports

Tuesday Thursday

18:00 18:30

19:00

Swanage, Burlington Sports

Tuesday

14:30

15:30

Wareham, Purbeck Sports

Monday Thursday

16:00 11:00

11:00

If you are not exercising with us and would like to start (or restart) then please call Robin Pringle or Roger Ridout. Contact details are on the inside cover 17

PHSG Magazine

A Welcome from PHSG to New Staff at Pool

My Name is Emma Beaves I am the new Senior Cardiology Nurse. I qualified as a registered nurse here in Poole in 2005 and started my career on a busy acute medical ward specialising in respiratory medicine. I have worked on the Coronary Care Unit (CCU) for the last 4 years. I thoroughly enjoy my job and am extremely passionate about cardiology and am excited about the upcoming changes. The post of Senior Cardiology Nurse was only established in March of this year. The overall aim of my new role is to ensure that the cardiology inpatient service runs as smoothly as possible and to act as the link between cardiology and the rest of the hospital. As this is a new patient focused role it is still very much evolving and with the feedback gained from doctors and my peers I feel it is rapidly becoming a very useful and successful role. My job involves preparing for and attending the CCU ward round daily and ensuring that the doctors have all the relevant information like test results and information from previous relevant admissions, as well as providing continuity and a familiar face for the patients. I will also go to the wards every day and review the patients on telemetry (portable cardiac monitors), ensuring that the doctors are aware of the patientâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s rate/rhythm and any abnormalities. I will also reassure the patient and help them to understand why they are being monitored. I also carry a bleep and am available for ward nurses with less confidence or cardiology knowledge to deal with any questions or concerns the staff might have over their patients or their patients might have over their condition. If a patient becomes cardiovascularly unstable on a ward and the doctors want them transferred to CCU for closer monitoring I will go to the ward, assess the patient, arrange the transfer with the bed managers and escort the patient to CCU. This minimises delays in getting specialist treatment started promptly whilst easing the workload for CCU and ward staff. It also gives me the time to talk to the patient and reassure them and give a comprehensive explanation to them and their relatives regarding their treatment and the plan of care. I have close links with cardiac rehab, other specialist nurses, the cardiac co-ordinator and the cardio-respiratory department so I can chase results and investigations as well as being able to get an accurate waiting time for other tests. This will ensure that cardiology patients are seen by the appropriate professionals as quickly and efficiently as possible. I strongly believe that this new role will greatly improve the patientâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s overall care and enormously improve the effectiveness of CCU, the general wards and the Accident and Emergency department. I am thrilled with the positive feedback I have received so far and hope to use it to build and continue to improve the role.

PHSG Magazine

le NHS FoundationTrust - “The Two Emmas”

My name is Emma Gardner I am the Heart Failure and Arrhythmia Nurse. I joined the Trust in February 2013 having previously worked in Salisbury District General Hospital as a Senior Sister in Critical Care Outreach for 3 years. I trained in St Bartholomew’s Hospital, London and since qualifying have spent the past 22 years working purely within Cardiac Care. I have been fortunate not only to have worked within a variety of cardiac clinical environments but have spent time within Cardiac Education and Research in both London and Brighton. The position of Heart Failure and Arrhythmia Nurse is a new post sponsored for 30 hours a week for one year by 3 pharmaceutical companies. More than 700,000 people in the UK suffer from heart failure and the condition is responsible for one in 20 emergency hospital admissions. Admissions are estimated to rise by 50% over the next 25 years – largely as a result of the ageing population and of improved survival from myocardial infarction (NICE:2010). At least 1,000,000 people in the UK have experienced a cardiac arrhythmia, the medical term for an irregular heartbeat or abnormal heart rhythm. That is a minimum of about 1 of every 85 members of the British population. Cardiac arrhythmias are consistently in the top ten reasons for hospital admission, using up significant A&E time and bed days (British Cardiology Society 2012). These statics highlight the need for a specialist nurse. The aim of the role is therefore to improve patient outcome by reducing hospital length of stay, preventing readmissions and developing links within the Community teams. This is in line with Government recommendations within Cardiac Care. The key to my role is providing a service which offers education, support and multidisciplinary team management to patients. I act as the bridge between hospital and community care by being the communication link. I try to promote patients ownership of their condition by explaining their symptoms and how to manage them. By identifying all patients within or admitted to the hospital who have heart failure and accepting referrals from other hospital specialities, G.P.s and community matrons, I can review the patient on the ward and establish the essential link. Patient follow up post discharge is achieved through my outpatient clinics and telephone calls which helps strengthen the relationship with the patient. Supporting relatives and staff is also something I feel passionate about and it is vital to spend time with them. The future is bright but extremely busy! I have organised quarterly educational meetings for the Community Matrons and a nurses Study day which will be held here at Poole Hospital in November. My Clinics have been extended to run twice a week and the number of community referrals is forever increasing!

PHSG Magazine

By Robin Pringle

Robin’s Notes

STEP DOWN CLASS: Unfortunately the class held at Canford Sports Centre has had be cancelled, but in its place a new STEP DOWN CLASS will commence on Tuesdays at 2.30pm at Q.E. School. Those members who attended Canford can now meet regularly at Q.E where the classes will be taken by Jayne Frank.

THE NEW DEFIBRILLATOR & CHARLIE COX Members will note the picture in this magazine showing a replacement lightweight defibrillator being presented to members of the Walking Group. The Donation the Group received of just over £400 following the funeral of Charlie Cox covered half the cost of this new machine. Charlie and his wife Rose were almost founder members of PHSG and for many years exercised at Broadstone and Canford. They were also very keen members of the Walking Group and we know that Charlie would be so pleased that the donation in his name was being used in this way. Our thoughts are with Rose who is being invited to be a Life Member of PHSG.

THE ORIGINAL DEFIBRILLATOR: The original machine purchased only two years ago was proving too heavy to carry on the walks. It will now be offered to Lytchett Minster Sports Centre where it can cover for cardiac emergencies at the School, on the playing fields and in the Sports Hall. We do hope that when the School reopens after the summer holidays this machine will be accepted for use there and will be placed in a strategic site. BARBARA & JOHN CRAWFORD : Jayne received a lovely message from Barbara who has come to the sad decision not to bring husband John to Hearts on Seats anymore. John has been in very poor health for a number of years now and Barbara has done sterling work getting John to exercise firstly at Ashdown and, over the past few years at Broadstone Hearts on Seats. Following a number of falls and the difficulty getting John in and out of transport it is clear that exercise sessions are no longer possible. Barbara contacted Jayne to thank all at PHSG who have helped with their continuous support.

HAMWORTHY EXERCISE VENUE: We have reduced the number of classes at this new venue until numbers build up. The only exercise session now is at 10am on a Monday. Trainers Jayne and Emma will do alternative months.

STEPPING OUT: I have just attended and much enjoyed Swanage Musical Theatre Company’s show Stepping Out. The show was directed and choreographed by Brenda Ridout (wife of committee member Roger) and a smashing job she made of it ! In the cast with eyes a-twinkling was none other than one of our Swanage exercisers Mary Dines clad in leopard skin tights! Mary proved an excellent comedienne in her role as Sylvia. The whole cast did a great job and it was not surprising that our Roger was surrounded by attractive stars at the after show drinks.

Robin

sounds like Robin getting all steamed up . . . steady there watch that pulse rate. Editor

PHSG Magazine

POSTCARDS & STAMPS George Oâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Leary writes:

SECURE YOUR NUTS! Ken Peters writes:

I am still collecting for charity. Used postage stamps and picture postcards are very welcome, but not used greetings cards. All proceeds will go to PHSG. Cut the stamps like shown in the picture please. Please send to 98 Haymoor Road, Poole, Dorset BH15 3NU

Many cars these days are fitted with anti-theft nuts requiring a special tool for their removal. These can be expensive to replace if they are lost but on the box is a PIN that can be used to buy replacements from the manufacturer, Keep a note of this number safe, it will make the replacement costs much cheaper!

PHSG Magazine

Medical Clinical Care Group

Jim Waine

Practice Development Unit for Cardiology and Medicine - Quality Service Group Meeting PHSG has a voice on this group representing its members. This exciting group, under the very capable Chairmanship of Geoffrey Walker, OBE, Matron Cardiology and Medicine, really gets things done! Positive changes are made to hospital procedures, as a result of patient feedback given to PHSG patient representatives. All PHSG members can feed back information to Poole Hospital in complete confidence about their treatment. So if you want to say anything good or bad about your experience in Poole Cardiac Unit, or its related departments including the ambulance service, please forward your comments. You can contact me by e-mail (preferred), letter, or telephone. All information will be treated in strictest confidence. Looking forward to hearing from you. Jim Waine, Vice President PHSG jim.waine2@btinternet.com or 01202 871532

Quality Service Group Meeting 23rd July 2013 Geoffrey Walker Matron, Medical Services. OBE chaired the meeting and introduced two new members of staff , Emma Gardner and Emma Beaves, and he explained their respective roles. Emma Gardner outlined her new role as Heart Failure Nurse, explaining to all present what her terms of reference would be. Emma Beaves then discussed her CCU support role which enables her to visit patients on general medical wards, but who have specific cardiac problems and if needs be, arrange for them to be transferred to the CCU, where they can receive the necessary specialist care in a more seamless service. Both are writing their own introductions to PHSG in this issue. Geoffrey Walker confirmed that both posts had initially been funded for one year but expressed the view that, subject to approval, they would both be fully funded for the future. All present expressed support for this service and the group as a whole extended a wish to endorse the full funding of both positions for the future. Geoffrey Walker agreed to take this forward when the business case was completed. It was also suggested that the Heart Failure and CCU nurse roles were very important and a request was made for this be considered as a seven day service. The Chairman indicated that Poole Hospital was considering a return to seven day working in most departments but that this had significant staffing and cost

PHSG Magazine

implications. Any further future management discussions on this subject would be reported to this committee. Merger Update The Chairman informed the group that there had been a lot of publicity recently with regard to the merger of Poole and Bournemouth Hospitals but that at the present time this appeared unlikely to proceed, due to objections being raised by the Monopolies and Mergers Commission. The consensus of opinion within the Trust appeared to be that there is now a less than 10% chance of this merger taking place. The Chairman expressed the view that it was imperative that Poole Hospital remained clinically sound pending further discussions and until a final decision is announced. This is expected to be announced on 28 August 2013. The Chairman updated the group, with regard to the appointment of two new Cardiologists and reported that the successful candidates would be commencing in the Trust in June. NHS Dorset Clinical Commissioning Group I also attended a meeting of the “NHS Dorset Clinical Commissioning Group” this is the new GP lead NHS. We are the third largest clinical commissioning group (CCG) in terms of population and second largest in financial terms in the country and we consist of 100 member GP practices which are grouped into 13 geographical localities serving a total registered population of around 766,000. For further information their website is www.dorsetccg.nhs.uk

Jim An 80 year old lady was being interviewed as she married for the fourth time. "He's a funeral director," she volunteered. “What did your first three husbands do for a living?” The interviewer asked. “Well, she said, “in my 20s I married a banker, in my forties a circus ringmaster and in my sixties a vicar.” “Four men with such diverse careers!” The interviewer laughed, “How come!” She smiled, "I married one for the money, two for the show, three to get ready, and four to go."

PHSG Magazine

☺ Condoms don't guarantee safe sex! A friend of mine was wearing one when he was shot dead by the woman's husband! ☺ I can't find the words to describe how bad this thesaurus is. ☺The Greeks are cancelling all production of humus and Taramasalata. It's a double dip recession. ☺ The train in Spain falls mainly off. ☺ Stuart Hall has just had his sentence doubled. That's great use of the joker by HMP. ☺ In hindsight I should have posted my Facebook status as: "I've blown the head gasket on my 1997 XR3i" rather than "I've just buggered a 14 year old escort".The police still haven't seen the funny side, my laptop's been confiscated, and the wife has gone off to her mum's. ☺ Jonathan Ross has been accused of shoplifting a kitchen utensil from Tesco. Ross says it was a whisk he was prepared to take. ☺ Got an e-mail today from a bored local housewife, 43, who was looking for some hot action! So I sent her my ironing. That'll keep the lazy woman busy. ☺ After a night of drink, drugs and wild sex Bill woke up to find himself next to a really ugly woman. That's when he realised he had made it home safely. ☺ Paddy says to Sandy, "Christmas is on Friday this year". Sandy said, "Let's hope it's not the 13th then." ☺ My mate just hired an Eastern European cleaner, took her 5 hours to hoover he house. Turns out she was a Slovak. ☺ Since the snow came all the wife has done is look through the window. If it gets any worse, I'll have to let her in. ☺ I’ve been charged with murder for killing a man with sandpaper. To be honest I only intended to rough him up a bit. ☺ A lad comes home from school and excitedly tells his dad that he had a part in the school play and he was playing a man who had been married for 25 years. The dad says, "Never mind son, maybe next year you'll get a speaking part." ☺ Just had my water bill of £175 drop on my mat. That's a lot. Oxfam say they can supply a whole African village for just £2 a month: time to change my supplier!. ☺ What's the difference between roast beef and pea soup? Anyone can roast beef. ☺ What has four legs and one arm? A happy pit bull.

PHSG Magazine

Meet our Members A Showcase on Members - This issue: Brian and Anne Sadgrove During the late summer of â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;04 when hurricane Ivan struck the Windward Islands, Anne and I were back in the UK to allow our offspring a glimpse of their wayward parents. At 70 the DVLA had also informed me that they intended to remove the commercial vehicle categories from my driving license unless I passed a physical examination. I did not expect problems as our lives were active; walking & swimming most days as we adventured round the islands, but following a 24 hour ECG, the consultant diagnosed arrhythmia. As we were itinerant yachties a long way from home, he advised aspirin daily. We finally said goodbye to the Caribbean in 2009 and returned to Dorset. Then things began to go wrong. In November I passed out on a timed swim and woke up in Poole A&E. A couple of days later a pacemaker was neatly glued in place. Four months later I passed out again after a brisk walk and arrived back in A&E. My pacemaker was swapped for an ICD. The following year the PHSG Canford keep fit class came to a halt when my ICD went off with a bang while I was fooling about with a skipping rope. I felt no pain, just a fright as if a firework had exploded nearby. It was comforting to know that the new contraption worked efficiently. The following year in Yorkshire, in late afternoon as I relaxed in an easy chair after a brisk walk my ICD went off with a bang. My son-in-law drove me to York General where experts successfully dealt with my galloping heart rate nudging 200 BPM. After this episode I decided to curtail further physical activities, or kiss my driving licence goodbye for another six months. In the mean time Anne was suffering chronic back pains and by January she had not been outside for some weeks. In a borrowed a wheelchair from Red Cross we set off to a nearby supermarket. Getting there was OK as it was downhill. Puffing and blowing on the return leg, I worked up a good head of steam to climb the incline. Arriving home I felt decidedly odd. This was my warning sign. My heart rate was pushing 140. The paramedics soon had me wired up to the ECG with sticky patches on most of my hairy bits and bristling with canulas before whisking me away to Poole A&E. All went well until early April. I was chatting to my son, when I felt decidedly odd again. I hopped into bed as my pulse was 172, hoping that inactivity would check its acceleration. The ambulance whisked me back to Poole A&E for the old electric pad treatment. This steadied my pulse to a useful 70 BPM. Later that month I felt decidedly odd again. Blood pressure was OK but heart beat around 150. I Rang 999, (they recognized my voice.) The ambulance soon arrived and my pulse on their ECG had reached 160. I suggested they deliver me to Bournemouth CCU and told them I was not coughing up for the hospital parking meter! My consultant decided the time had arrived for a heart ablation and a few days later stuffed sophisticated cables into my groin that found their way to my heart, and incinerated the faulty sensor that was sending irregular signals to my blood pumping device. Everything seemed to be working fine, I felt good. Until mid-July that is when checking my daily pulse found it was 152 and I had only just got out of bed. My pulse now accelerates regardless of activity. I decided on Poole A&E this time as they do a nice liver and onions for lunch. Just where do I go from here?

PHSG Magazine

By Keith Matthews The Cutting Edge Advances in Medical Technology - Laser project aiming to improve bladder cancer detection and treatment. Dr Ghulam Nabi A four-year, €2.3-million advanced Bladder cancer ‘LAser Diagnostics and therapy' initiative (ABLADE),co-ordinated by the University of Dundee, will examine whether advanced laser techniques can be used to both detect and treat the disease. Bladder cancer is a common form of the disease and one of the hardest to diagnose and treat. Existing methods are not very effective, missing at least one in 10 cases. However, early experiments with lasers have discovered that cancerous cells and healthy cells respond differently to certain infrared light. The ABLADE project will exploit this difference to integrate laser diagnostics and therapeutic techniques. “What we have seen when looking at cells is that there is a notable difference in the behaviour of the cancerous cells and healthy ones when exposed to particular laser wavelengths,” said Dr Ghulam Nabi, a senior clinical lecturer in surgical uro-oncology at Dundee. “This means that, in theory, we can first identify the cancer cells and then selectively kill them with certain wavelengths without damaging the surrounding healthy tissue.” ABLADE will bring together experts from the University's medical school and photonics and nanoscience group, along with companies in the Netherlands and Russia. As well as €2.3 million from the European Union's Marie Curie Industry Academia Partnership and Pathways programme, the industrial partners are 2M Netherlands and SPE Lazma from Russia. The project will also see staff seconded between the University and the industry partners and create four new research posts. The project will run until 2017, and if you haven’t caught on yet . . . remember, you read it here first in PHSG Magazine!

Keith

PHSG Magazine

ise is so much c r e Ex right ge easier in t he ar! PHSG Clothing

T-Shirts £7.00

Sweat Shirts £13.00

Polo Shirts £11.00

This exclusive range of clothes are available from the PHSG Sizes Small, Medium, Large & Extra Large

For the RETRO nostalgic we still have a small stock of the previous Sky Blue versions (Price on application).

Contact: Sandra Llewellyn at geoll@talktalk.net ,01202 605455 or ask your trainer.

PHSG Magazine

ng i nd a t s s r r ee e d in n g U En

The graduate with a science degree asks, "Why does it work?" The graduate with an engineering degree asks, "How does it work?" The graduate with an accounting degree asks, "How much will it cost?" The graduate with an arts degree asks, "Do you want fries with that?" Three engineering students were gathered together discussing who must have designed the human body. One said, "It was a mechanical engineer. Just look at all the joints." Another said, "No, it was an electrical engineer. The nervous system has many thousands of electrical connections." The last one said, "No, actually it had to have been a civil engineer. Who else would run a toxic waste pipeline through a recreational area?"

PHSG Magazine

Submitted by engineer member Alastair Allcroft, and heartily endorsed by your science graduate Editor!

Two engineering students were biking across a university campus when one said, "Where did you get such a great bike?" The second engineer replied, "Well, I was walking along yesterday, minding my own business, when a beautiful woman rode up on this bike, threw it to the ground, took off all her clothes and said, "Take what you want." The first engineer nodded approvingly and said, "Good choice: The clothes probably wouldn't have fit you anyway." To the optimist, the glass is half-full. To the pessimist, the glass is half-empty. To the engineer, the glass is twice as big as it needs to be. A priest, a doctor, and an engineer were waiting one morning for a particularly slow group of golfers. The engineer fumed, "What's with those guys? We must have been waiting for fifteen minutes!" The doctor chimed in, "I don't know, but I've never seen such inept golf!" The priest said, "Here comes the greens-keeper. Let's have a word with him." He said, "Hello George, What's wrong with that group ahead of us? They're rather slow, aren't they?" The greens-keeper replied, "Oh, yes. That's a group of blind firemen. They lost their sight saving our clubhouse from a fire last year, so we always let them play for free anytime." The group fell silent for a moment. The priest said, "That's so sad. I think I will say a special prayer for them tonight." The doctor said, "Good idea. I'm going to contact my ophthalmologist colleague and see if there's anything she can do for them." The engineer said, "Why can't they play at night?" What is the difference between mechanical engineers and civil engineers? Mechanical engineers build weapons. Civil engineers build targets.

Healthy Hearts Need Breakfast Skipping breakfast could increase your risk of suffering heart problems, reports The Guardian. A long-term study of 27,000 male professionals, aged 45 to 82, found that those who tended not to eat a morning meal were 27% more likely to have heart troubles than those who ate breakfast, even after adjusting for other factors such as smoking and exercise. The researchers, at Harvard University, say that missing breakfast may put an "extra strain" on the heart, sending it into a protective drive that raises blood pressure, insulin levels and cholesterol – all of which can lead to heart disease. They found that late-night snacks were even more dangerous: the men who admitted to eating after going to bed had a 55% higher chance of heart disease. The researchers say the effect of this is to "overload" the body, causing a similar outcome.

Volunteers wanted to help in our P.H.S.G. Head Office for only 2 hours per month Please Telephone 01202 683363 ext. 133 Manned 1.30 - 3.30pm Mon & Thurs

You can always call the Office ! You can always call the office We’re a happy little bunch. On a Monday or a Thursday, We’re there just after lunch. If you need some information, Exercise or walking club, (Cyril says they ramble and then end up at the pub!). We distribute magazines and sign in each new member. We are on the go all the time from January to December Jan Mesher PHSG Office Co-ordinator.

PHSG Magazine

Chat Stops

Chat Stops will restart on the 1st October at Macaulay Road, Broadstone at 14:00 to 16:00 as usual. Come along for a cup of tea and a chat. Jan Mesher is still running the second-hand bookstall and asks if you have any books to donate that you bring Paperbacks Only to the meeting. Please don’t bring Hardbacks, they are too heavy to cart around! Next Chatstop Dates: ● October 1st ● November 5th ● December 3rd

We were included in the Asda Canford HeathToken Scheme recently. We were up against some tough competition, but were pleased to receive a donation of £25 as a result. Thankyou Asda, and thank you to all who put their tokens in the right box! Is it true that Geordies cannot understand why ALDI isn’t open 24 hours a day? (Forgive me Lesley!)

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PHSG Cycling Group Rides Rides are about 15 to 20 miles long, the rides are open to all members of the PHSG as long as your doctor approves. For help, advice, weather check and bike maintenance call Keith Matthews on 01202 855001 ALL STARTS at 10:00am Sunday 22 Sept Meet Broadstone Leisure - Lytchett Link Sunday 20 Oct Meet Wimborne Square - Blandford Brevet Sunday 24 Nov Meet Wareham Quay - Purbeck Tour Sunday 22 Dec Meet Hill View Road - Verwood and Beyond In bad weather call before 9:00am to see if the ride is going ahead.

Winterborne Again In July, we tackled Bulbarrow. On a warm sunny day. “You must be joking” was the commonest response, but you know, if you just take things slowly all things are possible even for a bunch of heart survivors like us. We met at Winterborne Kingston. Well, most of us did, but I’ll say no more.

This gave us a nice long run to bed-in as we travelled north up to W.Whitchurch, W.Clenston, W.Stickland and W.Houghton. Positively Winterborne again, we were ready for when the sign pointed straight up, saying uncompromisingly “Bulbarrow”. We let the ‘youngsters’ climb on ahead, but they didn’t get too far, and yes John, I did see you walking a bit. We were all stopping regularly to “stay in the zone” though.

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The view is certainly worth it. And here we are in the picture having attained the summit without oxygen. What is really worth it though is the tremendous swoop down past Milton Abbas and on for 5 miles of uninterrupted descent with speeds in excess of 30mph at times. 18 mile round trip. Fabulous!

Keith

PHSG Magazine

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PUERTO POLLENSA Northern Mallorca Spacious, well-equipped three bedroom apartment with large wrap-around balcony & outdoor dining area, air-conditioning and English TV. 5 mins level walk to the beach and 7mins level walk to the town centre. For more information and rates call; ANN on 01202 423934 Special offers available please quote ref: HM08 www.eucalyptos.com

Poole Heart Support Group operates under the umbrella of the British Heart Foundation who rely on voluntary help for fund-raising. If youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d like to help them, please contact: Pam Bailey BHF Rep. 4 Knighton Heath Close. BH11 9PP. 01202 574944 Poole Branch meet once a month at Poole Hospital to plan forthcoming events.

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