Grateful family donate special equipment to Sandwell heart disease unit in memory of mother

After Valerie Haywood died last year mourners at her funeral were asked to make donations to the unit and with the money the family purchased KardiaMobile devices.

Isobel Blake, Community Heart Failure Specialist Nurse, said: “Valerie Haywood was a well-known patient to the heart failure team since 2014, before she sadly passed away in October 2022.

“At Valerie’s funeral, her friends and family requested that that any donations were to be made to the Sandwell community heart failure team, to enable us to purchase equipment that would enhance the delivery of patient care and be useful for the staff.

“We are extremely grateful for the very generous donation of KardiaMobile devices - they can record a heart tracing to determine the heart rhythm. Every team member had one a few years ago, they proved very useful in determining heart rhythms and aided quick treatment plans. Unfortunately, they were not replaced after damage through wear and tear.

“Currently we’ve been using a portable ECG machine or send patients into hospital to get an ECG. However, the new devices will be used in patients’ homes to help determine treatment options, avoid hospital admissions, and offer peace of mind.

“The devices will help over 1500 patients a year and give staff the ability to make quicker, informed decisions about treatment and find course for deterioration – saving time.

“We are so touched by the Haywood family’s appreciation for the care that Valerie received from our team.”

Valerie’s daughter, Joy Haywood has worked for the Trust for 42 years and continues to work as a bank nurse despite retiring five years ago. She said: “We decided to not have flowers at my mum’s funeral, and instead request donations to be made for the heart failure team.

“The family wanted to do something in her memory that would benefit patients and staff. We managed to buy three KardiaMobile six-lead devices and carrying cases. The whole family are thankful to the heart failure team who made Val’s life easier. She wouldn’t have lived as long without them, and some of them have become like family.”

The family did not want to disclose the amount raised but were assured the devices would make a huge difference to the unit. The community heart failure team at SWB improve heart failure patients' quality of life, reduce hospital admissions and support each patient from diagnosis to end of life.

They provide a seven-day service with home assessments, intravenous medication within the home and 12 clinics across Sandwell and West Birmingham, this also includes a Saturday morning clinic for younger working patients.