About Us
We are a local charity established in 1992 that help babies, children and adults diagnosed with congenital and cardiovascular diseases primarily by supporting the work of the Wessex Cardiac Unit based at Southampton General Hospital. This is achieved by providing specialised equipment, services and facilities to help patients and their relatives through their cardiac journey.
How we help
Prevention
Providing medical equipment and funding research on the prevention of heart disease to the Wessex Cardiac Unit. Both equipment and services generally of a type that the NHS would not provide (for example leading edge or innovatory.)
Patient Support
Owning and operating a facility for people with loved ones on the Cardiac Wards. Heartbeat House is a 24 bedroom “home from home” adjacent to the hospital and provides accommodation for up to 35 people at any one time and is available to anyone whose relative is an in-patient in the Wessex Cardiac Unit.
Education and Training
Providing funds to train and educate staff in the Wessex Cardiac Unit ranging from supporting attendees at conferences to funding training courses for medical staff to enhance and advance their professional knowledge and skills.
Rehabilitation
Funding research on the rehabilitation and cure of heart disease.
Heartbeat's driving ambition is to ensure the very best care for people with heart conditions in the Wessex region including the Channel Islands and beyond
Together we make the difference
The combination of world class clinical teams and significant investment in the Wessex Cardiac Unit have turned it into one of the largest and most reputable centres in the UK, serving 3.5 million people. Despite this, what is best today can be made better tomorrow as advances in care happen, and we learn more about what patients and their relatives want and need, to have the smoothest journey home possible.
Together with our supporters, we have raised over £20 million, which has enabled us to put in place crucial improvements in the Wessex Cardiac Unit, that wouldn’t otherwise have happened; the same improvements that patients, their relatives, doctors, nurses and many others, consistently tell us make a real difference.