MONEY raised by colleagues and customers at a supermarket has funded a ‘heart-felt’ gift which will make life easier for cardiac patients and clinical teams in Powys.

Jayne Griffiths, community champion at Tesco in Llandrindod Wells, organised funding to supply blood pressure monitors and sleeves to cardiac specialist nurses as a Christmas gift.

Sian Jones and Julie Havard-Evans from the Powys Teaching Health Board who partner with British Heart Foundation, were in store offering health-checks to customers when Jayne decided to help them.

The new monitors were presented to cardiac specialist nurse Julie Havard-Evans last week. They will be loaned out to patients, allowing them to keep track of their blood pressure over the course of a week from the comfort of their own home.

Previously, heart patients would purchase their own monitor or join a waiting list.

Powys Teaching Health Board cardiac specialist nurse Julie Havard-Evans said: “The two new monitors will mean that cardiac teams in the area are able to identify patients who need help quickly and accurately.

“It will make a big difference to the service we can offer to patients in the area. We encourage patients to monitor their own blood pressure at home, as this combats ‘white coat syndrome’. The stress of having a blood pressure check in a clinical setting can often skew results and make it difficult for health professionals to decide how best to manage patients’ conditions.”

“Access to monitors can be a problem, though, and patients may find themselves either purchasing their own equipment or joining a waiting list. This gift is brilliant because it offers a really practical solution which will make our lives easier and give patients a better way to manage their health.

“Tesco’s community champion Jayne does a fabulous job for the causes she supports, and has raised more than £2,000 for British Heart Foundation this year. We are especially touched by this additional donation because Jayne took the time to find out exactly what would help us here in Powys. She went above and beyond what we would ever have expected, and that could help us to save lives. We are very surprised and so grateful.”

Jayne added: “I was able to purchase the blood pressure monitors thanks to the generosity of our customers, my colleagues and their friends and families, so I want to say a big thank you to everyone involved.

“Tesco supports British Heart Foundation nationally but it means such a lot to be able to see the difference our fundraising has on our local nurses and the people they serve in our community. Any of our loved-ones could need their help at any time and they do a wonderful job. This gift is a little ‘thank you’ from us to them, and we hope it helps them as they carry on with their fantastic efforts.”