Free heart checks aim to spot failure risk

Free heart checks are being offered at events across Sussex to identify people with early signs of heart failure.

In 2024/25, 19,415 people in the county were registered as having heart failure.

The NHS said these figures have risen from the previous year, where there were 17,889 people, highlighting the growing impact of the condition locally.

Hundreds of people queued at Sussex's first free heart health event at the Sussex County Cricket Ground in Hove on Monday.

The heart checks are being delivered in partnership by University Hospitals Sussex NHS Foundation Trust (UHSx), East Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust, Sussex Community NHS Foundation Trust (SCFT), NHS Sussex, local GP practices and the national heart failure charity Pumping Marvellous.

People attending events will be invited to complete a brief questionnaire, have their blood pressure and heart rhythm checked, and if appropriate, undergo a simple finger-prick blood test.

Those showing signs of possible heart failure will be referred to the UHSx heart failure team for further assessment.

Heart failure is caused by changes in the heart's structure or function, which can lead to symptoms like breathlessness, fatigue and swollen ankles.

Across the UK, over one million people are living with heart failure, with 200,000 new diagnoses each year and an estimated 400,000 people undiagnosed.

Dr Sue Ellery, consultant cardiologist and heart failure clinical lead for Sussex Integrated Care Board and University Hospitals Sussex, said: "Heart failure is a major cause of avoidable hospital admissions and too often we only identify it when someone becomes seriously unwell."

Dr Ellery added that the aim of the heart check events was to reach "people in the community who may have early signs and offering them a quick, simple check that could make a real difference to their long-term health".

Dr James Ramsay, Chief Medical Officer for NHS Sussex, said: "By identifying heart failure earlier, we can begin treatment sooner, reduce the risk of hospitalisation, and ultimately help people live longer, healthier lives."

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