Help and support

How you are affected by angina or after a heart attack can vary from person to person. You may find it frustrating if it’s more difficult to do things that you took for granted before or may feel nervous about doing more energetic things.

The British Heart Foundation is a registered UK charity that provides advice and support to people with heart conditions, including people who've had a heart attack. It has a comprehensive website and range of publications that cover many heart conditions, healthy lifestyle information and questions commonly asked when people are diagnosed with heart disease such as can I still drive or will having a heart attack affect my travel insurance next time I go on holiday? 

Their helpline is staffed by nurses and they have over 300 heart support groups that give people who have a heart condition and their families an opportunity to meet others who have similar experiences.

Financial support

If you are of working age and angina affects your ability to work or you are unable to return to work immediately after a heart attack it can have an impact on your finances.  Discuss your work prospects with your doctor and before financial issues become a problem, contact your employer or JobCentre Plus office for information about your entitlements.

If you have difficulty managing personal care or day- to-day tasks due to your heart condition or need watching over to make sure you are all right, you may be eligible to claim a non means-tested benefit – Disability Living Allowance if you are under 65 years old and Attendance Allowance if you are 65 and older. You can find out more about these and other benefits you may be entitled to claim by calling Age UK.

Social care support

If you find walking or getting washed and dressed very tiring, contact your local social services department and explain the difficulties you are having. They can arrange to assess what help you are eligible to receive and recommend equipment and gadgets that can make life easier. You may have to pay for any services you receive.
 

Further information

British Heart Foundation
Website: www.bhf.org.uk  
Heart helpline: 0300 330 3311
The British Heart Foundation is a UK charity that offers information on prevention of heart disease and support to people with heart disease and their families.

DirectGov
Website: www.bhf.org.uk
This website has useful information under the headings ’money, tax and benefits’ and ‘caring for someone’.

Drinkline
Drinkline: 0800 917 8282
You can call Drinkline if you're worried about your own or someone else's drinking, in complete confidence, 24 hours a day.

NHS Choices website
www.bhf.org.uk
Information about symptoms, prevention Coronary heart disease can be found in the Health A-Z section.

By following the link below, you can find out what to expect from the NHS to help you manage a long term condition such as heart disease. A further link takes you to information about Living with heart disease and where to find further support.
www.bhf.org.uk

NICE guideline CG48 Preventing another heart attack.
Website: www.bhf.org.uk
Look for a patient version of any Guidance document. You can find it under the heading – NICE guidance written for patients and carers