Patients dying from heart failure in Glasgow are to receive the kind of support typically provided to cancer sufferers in a groundbreaking pilot project for the UK.
Patients dying from heart failure in Glasgow are to receive the kind of support typically provided to cancer sufferers in a groundbreaking pilot project for the UK.
Major charities Marie Curie Cancer Care and the British Heart Foundation Scotland are joining forces to launch a new centre in the city to care for people with incurable heart problems, and their families, at the end of their lives.
The £3.6m partnership should ensure thousands of patients receive extra help and it is hoped it will also serve as a springboard for widening palliative care services across Britain.
Heart failure occurs when the heart ceases to pump properly and in many cases it cannot be cured. The symptoms include pain, breathlessness, insomnia, fatigue and nausea - many of the same problems experienced by people with terminal cancer.
In fact, the two charities say patients with advanced heart failure have a worse prognosis and poorer quality of life than people with the most common cancers, yet many receive limited support.
Marjory Burns, director of the British Heart Foundation Scotland, said: "People with advanced heart failure have been denied adequate palliative care for too long. We think it is a fundamental human right that people nearing the end of their lives receive the care and treatment they and their families deserve."
She added that the new Glasgow centre, combining the expertise of the two charities, would create a "gold standard" that could be rolled out across Scotland and the rest of the UK.
Heart disease, the clogging of the coronary arteries which can cause heart failure, kills more people in Glasgow than in any other part of Britain.
It is estimated that at least 11,000 people in the NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde health board area are suffering from heart failure and 100,000 across Scotland.
However, Ms Burns said palliative care - helping patients with everything from pain relief to spiritual concerns - was "patchy".
She added: "Our fear is without it people experience more pain and more anxiety then they need to, and are unable to call on someone who has a real expertise in their condition - someone who can provide them with the medical and emotional support that is so vital."
Jackie Burns, from Kirkintilloch, was left with a weak heart after suffering rheumatic fever as a child. She has undergone five heart operations since 1979 and doctors say she will not survive further heart surgery.
The 58-year-old has made good friends while receiving treatment for her condition at Stobhill Hospital, but she says when she was also diagnosed with lung cancer in 2006 and was put in touch with Marie Curie, a different level of support kicked in.
"The Marie Curie nurses, they come to the house to liaise with me and the doctors are absolutely wonderful," she said. "The staff listen. They have got people to deal with different things and you can talk to the doctors to be updated on any changes."
Mrs Burns added: "I think it is an excellent idea that Marie Curie and the British Heart Foundation are joining up. It will be beneficial to the patients and the doctors as well."
The centre of excellence for advanced heart failure patients will be based at the new Marie Curie hospice in Stobhill, which will be fully operational by spring 2010.
