Open day for Grown Up Congenital Heart patients

An Open Day will be held at the Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital to provide information to Grown Up Congenital Heart (GUCH) patients and their families.

GUCH patients are those who were born with congenital heart conditions and are now adults. As a result of conventional or keyhole surgery an increasing proportion of people who were born with a congenital heart problem are reaching adulthood and old age. Continuing follow-up and monitoring is necessary in these cases and the NNUH provides this through its specialist GUCH service.

The NNUH, which is recognised as a Level 2 Specialist Centre by NHS England, has provided a GUCH service since 1993 and is now running four to five clinics a week.

There are specialist clinics for Pulmonary Hypertension, Aortopathies, Maternal Cardiology and Transition included in the GUCH service.

The event on Saturday, October 14th is being held in conjunction with the Somerville Foundation’s annual GUCH conference.

The Somerville Foundation offers practical and emotional support to GUCH patients nationally and members of their team will be providing information about their work on the day.

GUCH Consultants Dr Leisa Freeman and Dr Cathy Head said: “This open day is an opportunity for patients, relatives and partners to come along and have a chance to talk informally with members of the team including specialist nurses Toni Hardiman and Beth Brickham, as well as learn from the different specialists about how to maintain lifelong best cardiovascular health.

The Open Day is being held from 9am until 1pm in the Benjamin Gooch Lecture Theatre, East Atrium Level 1.

Refreshments will be provided. Space is limited so anyone interested in attending should email nnu-tr.guch@nhs.net

Congenital Heart Disease affects about 9 in every 1000 babies born in the UK. More than 90% of babies born now with congenital heart defects survive to 18 years – a big contrast compared with 1960 when only 10% survived to adulthood.

The numbers of adults living with congenital heart disease is rising due to advances in surgical techniques and improved survival rates in childhood. The adult population of patients with congenital heart disease now exceeds the paediatric population and is continuing to rise.

We have in excess of 2000 patients in the Adult Congenital Heart Clinics at the NNUH.