Cardiac Rehab Sisters
A surgeon's skill is a visible vital component in the life-saving procedures for heart patients. Another fundamental part of putting people back on the road to recovery is cardiac rehabilitation. A well-constructed treatment programme can boost the physical and psychological recuperation of a person and underpin the cardiologist's message.
Sara Gilbert and Julie Bigg are both enthusiastic and successful in championing the cause of cardiac rehabilitation. As Senior Cardiac Rehabilitation Sisters for the past 14 years they are dedicated advocates of education, advice and encouragement to heart patients and their families. They are part of a small proactive team who have devised and implemented a treatment programme which helps patients cope with their conditions, improve their health and restore their quality of life following a cardiac event such as a heart attack or by-pass surgery.
Sara and Julie, who both live in Southampton, were formerly staff nurses on the hospital wards. Now they develop their own booklets and information guides and support a programme to help heart patients evaluate their lives, make the necessary changes, try to avoid problems in the future and recover their physical and mental well-being.
They are involved in the following:
• Counselling to enable the patient to understand and manage the heart condition;
• Education and advice on recovering from their cardiac conditions;
• Helping the patient identify and modify risk factors such as smoking, stress, high cholesterol and lack of exercise etc.
The Cardiac Rehabilitation programme, which was established in Southampton in 1994 with the help of a £25,000 grant, is now able to reach out to about 2,500 patients a year who have been affected by heart attacks, by-pass surgery or heart conditions.
"In my opinion the most rewarding part of the job is the contact we have with patients", said Julie, who is married with two children.
"Learning you have a heart condition or suffering a heart attack can be devastating news, but we can offer help and advice to them and their families and help them on their road to recovery."
Sara, who is married and has three children, believes that cardiac rehabilitation is a very cost-effective form of treatment for heart patients. "I'd like to think that the advice we give to patients helps to prevent them from re-admission to hospital and could prevent successive cardiac problems", she said. Sara was also instrumental in setting up the Southampton Heart Support Group, which acts as an informal social forum where heart patients and their families can meet and interact. "The reason we came into this type of nursing was that 14 years ago patients received very little advice or information on recovering from their cardiac conditions. We were also involved in setting up the first exercise programmes for this group of patients", explained Sara. 
Julie and Sara are both excited to be involved with the "Your Healthy Heart" campaign with Wessex Heartbeat. "We feel that providing advice about coronary heart disease in the workplace is an incredibly effective way of helping to prevent people from becoming heart patients of the future," said Sara. "By seeing people in a non-threatening, familiar environment we hope to help people who may not have the time to see their GPs. The tests we are carrying out include cholesterol and glucose tests, body mass index (BMI) and blood pressure as well as asking them about their smoking and exercise habits."
"This give us some indication of how likely they are to get coronary disease and we can then start to offer them practical advice and, if necessary, refer them back to their GP", added Sara.
And do they practise what they preach? "Yes, I'm a firm believer in the old adage sort your own backyard out first," admitted Julie.
"We both belong to gyms, enjoy walking and cycling, try to eat sensibly and drink in moderation. It's important that we are seen to be following our own advice!"
