Pop-up heart health hubs wanted for Premier League clubs in England
Premier League football clubs across England could soon offer fans a one-stop clinic designed to scan, diagnose and treat some of the early signs of cardiovascular disease following a successful screening pilot.
Almost one in three football supporters screened at Everton football club’s pop-up clinic this autumn were diagnosed with hypertension, the main preventable risk factor for heart failure, heart attack and stroke.
Nearly one in five of those diagnosed were found to require emergency hospital admission, which could be prevented by immediate prescription of life-saving medications.
“We were able to test, diagnose and administer essential medications within 60 minutes – a process that can take up to six months in the NHS,” said Dr Rajiv Sankaranarayanan, consultant cardiologist and clinical lead of the Beat Breathlessness Hub , run by the Everton in the Community charity.
Fans received a blood test, an AI echo heart scan and a specialist examination. If necessary, they were given life-changing medications and advice on how to improve their quality of life to reduce the risk of future hospital admissions.
The national screening program Beat-HF also diagnosed heart failure and atrial fibrillation in fans. Where necessary, these fans also received life-saving medication.
Everton fan Eddie Coan, 83, was only tested because he saw other people getting it done. “I had no symptoms and no indication that I had a problem, but I went there and asked if I could be tested too.
“Within minutes the nurse said she wasn’t very happy with my readings and made an appointment for me to go to the GP,” he said.
Coan was found to have a missing heartbeat and was fitted with a pacemaker. “I had no symptoms at all – so who knows what would have happened if the hub hadn’t been there to offer testing that day,” he said.
More than 1 million people in Britain suffer from heart failure, with around 200,000 new diagnoses every year.
Although early treatment can reduce mortality and morbidity, approximately 80% of diagnoses in England are made during emergency hospital admission, a number that has increased by 50% in the past decade.
“The high rate of hospital admissions is a key reason why heart failure costs the NHS more than £2 billion a year,” says Sankaranarayanan. “Between 60% and 70% of that £2 billion is related to the cost of hospital admissions.
“If we can get people tested early and treated quickly, the need for hospitalization – and especially emergency admissions – is greatly reduced,” he added.
The program is run by heart failure charity Pumping Marvelous – in partnership with local NHS healthcare systems, hospitals, community trusts, an integrated care council, councils, voluntary organizations and football clubs – and has already screened around 5,600 people in 10 locations across the country.
“The aim is to leverage the football brand for targeted early detection of people at serious risk of heart failure and rapid initiation of treatment,” said Nick Hartshorne-Evans, CEO and founder of the Pumping Marvelous Foundation.
“Our teams consist of a cardiologist, specialist nurses, psychologists, a smoking cessation service, volunteers and city council representatives,” he added.
The lessons learned from the pilot project, which has been shortlisted for a Health Service Journal award, are now in demand across the country.
“We are in discussions with most of the other leading football clubs who are looking to set up diagnostic hubs for the community,” Hartshorne-Evans said. “We have also been contacted by Premier League football clubs, rugby clubs and leisure facilities.”
The full results, presented last week at the Global Cardiovascular Clinical Trials Conference (CVCT) in Washington, will soon be published in a leading international cardiology journal.
Jon Jones, director of adult services at Everton in the Community, said the charity is exploring ways to make the weekly clinic a permanent feature.
“Men traditionally don’t get their health checked until it’s too late,” he said. “As a football club, we have a good idea of which season ticket holders may be at risk based on their age and zip code. That means we can reach them in a way that breaks down barriers, because it combines community and clinical aspects.”