Nuffield Health has announced new positive health outcomes for people using its cardiac rehabilitation programme. The healthcare programme connects hospital, fitness and emotional wellbeing support available at Nuffield Health at St Bartholomew’s Hospital and the nearby Barbican Fitness and Wellbeing Centre in London.
During 2023, 40 people took part in the programme and these people saw on average a 25% increase in their physical fitness over the 8-week duration of the programme. There was also a 33% decrease in self-reported anxiety levels and a 52% decrease in self-reported low mood.
“We are delighted that participants of the programme tell us that they feel much more confident in being physically active once they have attended the programme,” said Helen Alexander, Nuffield Health Cardiac Rehabilitation Lead.
“At Nuffield Health, we understand the need for a connected approach to heart health and wellbeing. We support people who have had recent heart events such as heart attacks, those living with heart conditions such as heart failure, and those recovering from heart procedures and heart surgery. For many people, increasing their physical activity to improve their longer term heart health can feel quite overwhelming to do on their own. Our role is to work alongside people over many weeks to help them make sustainable changes, and to gain confidence in looking after their long-term health,” commented Helen.
Approximately 7.6 million people live with heart or circulatory disease in the UK - almost 9% of the population. Guidelines developed by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) strongly recommend that individuals who have suffered from a heart attack are provided with timely access to comprehensive cardiac rehabilitation, which should include prescribed exercise, high-quality health education and stress management. This is further supported by the British Heart Foundation, which has highlights that cardiac rehabilitation is vital for a patient’s long-term recovery.
“While cardiac rehabilitation is recommended, access is generally inconsistent across the UK, both on the NHS and within independent healthcare. Nuffield Health’s purpose is to build a healthier nation and that’s why we are committed to offering cardiac rehabilitation to more people, with our programme available at Leeds and Bournemouth. With our connected clinical, fitness and wellbeing services we are well-placed to support more people with cardiac care,” added Helen.
A video with Helen is available here
