New Leicester clinics set up to tackle leading cause of non-accidental death in young people
The 'One-Stop' clinics will help the NHS in Leicestershire and Rutland detect and support people with inherited cardiac conditions.
Two new clinics have launched at Glenfield Hospital to help the NHS identify and support people in Leicestershire and Rutland with inherited cardiac conditions (ICCs).
Genetic diseases affecting the heart muscle or electrical system, known as ICCs, occur in one-in-300 people - and are the biggest cause of non-accidental death in young people.
The two new 'one-stop' clinics opened thanks to funding from local charity the Joe Humphries Memorial Trust - set up in the name of Joe, who tragically died from sudden arrhythmic death syndrome (SADS) when out running in 2012.
Steve Humphries, Joe's Dad, said: “The UHL ICC clinics at Glenfield Hospital are such an important asset to affected families who can now be seen in a 'one-stop shop' setting, at a time when they might be dealing with the devastating loss of a young person."
The new ICC centres will include a family screening clinic, which will support those with a family member with a diagnosis of an ICC through regular screening, education about the condition, red flag symptom awareness and decision-making around predictive genetic testing, if this is an option for them.
ICC Clinical Nurse Specialist, Chloe Ferguson, whose role was funded by JHMT, said: “We are striving to create a 'one-stop clinic', increasing our screening capacity and support for families and easing some of the processes a family affected by an ICC will go through. Our patients can be young and active and might need to make changes to their lifestyles, to keep themselves safe.”