Everton in the Community to continue its BEAT Breathlessness Hub thanks to the British Heart Foundation

Everton in the Community is delighted to announce its pioneering BEAT Breathlessness Hub will continue thanks to vital funding from British Heart Foundation. 

The funding will allow the HSJ Award-winning hub to reach even more residents across the Liverpool City Region who may be living with undiagnosed heart and lung conditions.

England’s first heart and lung community-based screening hub offers early detection, diagnosis and management of cardiovascular and respiratory conditions such as heart failure, atrial fibrillation, high blood pressure and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, incorporating point of care testing, AI echo and AI spirometry from a multidisciplinary team of primary care, heart and lung specialists. Patients can either walk in from the local community or be signposted by their local primary care organisation.  

The hub will also navigate to lifestyle support services. This will help to improve patient health and wellbeing outcomes through stopping smoking, managing weight and alcohol consumption, and remaining physically and socially active with their condition.

First launched in 2023 by the official charity of Everton Football Club, the BEAT Breathlessness Hub has provided significant support for individuals suffering from chronic breathlessness. To date, the hub has screened 1,200 individuals and of those, 42 patients with heart failure were detected and treated, 28 were identified with atrial fibrillation and 420 had poorly controlled blood pressure. 

The need for such a service in Liverpool City Region is elevated as one of the UK’s highest regions for cardiac illness. In deprived areas, late diagnosis is common and outcomes are often worse, making early detection through community-based services such as the BEAT Breathlessness Hub essential.  

The hub is delivered in partnership with University Hospitals of Liverpool Group, the University of Liverpool and Liverpool Centre for Cardiovascular Science, the Pumping Marvellous Foundation, Health Innovation North West Coast, Cheshire and Merseyside ICB, Liverpool City Council and other local health partners including US2.AI, Roche and NSHI. 

Located in trusted, non-clinical community settings, the hub breaks down barriers, making it easier for people to access timely diagnosis, treatment and referral into NHS pathways. 

With the new funding from British Heart Foundation, Everton in the Community will now expand its diagnostic hubs to new sites across Liverpool and engage at least another 1,500 people over the next 12 months. The funding will also enhance integration with NHS pathways and primary care, as well as increase focus on the psychological impact of breathlessness and long-term conditions with services based out of Everton in the Community’s mental health and wellbeing hub, The People’s Place. 

Michael Salla, Deputy CEO at Everton in the Community, said:

“This funding from British Heart Foundation represents a huge step forward for our BEAT Breathlessness Hub, and will allow us to reach many more people in our community who may be living with undiagnosed cardiovascular or respiratory conditions. 

“We know that late diagnosis is a significant issue in deprived areas, and this project is changing that by bringing life-saving services closer to people’s homes to support early detection and better outcomes for patients.” 

Judy O’Sullivan, Director of Innovation In Health Programmes at British Heart Foundation, said:

“At BHF, we’re committed to reducing heart health inequalities across the UK. Thanks to the generosity of our supporters, we’re pleased to be funding the expansion of the BEAT Breathless Community Hub.  
 
“Access to support within the community is vital for early diagnosis of conditions like heart failure. By making it easier for people to speak to healthcare professionals close to home, this hub is helping to remove barriers, speed up diagnosis, and ensure more people get the care they need, when they need it.” 

A/Prof Sankaranarayanan, Consultant Cardiologist (University Hospitals of Liverpool Group), HF Lead Cheshire and Merseyside Cardiac Network and Clinical Lead for the BEAT Breathlessness Hub, said:

“We are thankful to British Heart Foundation for awarding our BEAT Breathlessness project valuable funding to enable upscaling and continuation. This project will use the mass appeal of football to enable community one-stop specialist assessment using point of care tests and AI diagnostics, earlier diagnosis and treatment (“BEAT to TREAT”) of heart failure and COPD but also prevent these conditions through lifestyle measures, detection of high blood pressure and atrial fibrillation.” 

Professor Gregory Lip, Director at Liverpool Centre for Cardiovascular Science said:

“The BEAT Breathlessness Hub is an innovative approach to the early diagnosis and management of heart disease, focused on heart failure, atrial fibrillation and high blood pressure.  This is so important to reduce health inequalities, and BHF funding will make an important difference to our local community.  This pathway has the potential to be upscaled, making a major impact on cardiovascular health.  

Nick Hartshorne-Evans, Founder and CEO of the Pumping Marvellous Foundation, said:

“Funding from British Heart Foundation offers a great chance to expand the BEAT Breathlessness Hub. Undiagnosed heart failure often goes unnoticed. Growing this initiative across Liverpool to reduce diagnosis time and start treatment is vital for those with breathlessness, exhaustion, and fluid retention. Bringing this into the community and using technology to identify cases aligns with current ideas and benefits patients.” 

Established in 1988, Everton in the Community is the official charity of Everton Football Club and harnessing the unifying power of football to drive social change and address societal challenges across Merseyside. For more than 35 years, the charity has delivered award-winning life-changing, and life-saving, provision to those most in need across Liverpool City Region. 

Established in 1961, British Heart Foundation is the biggest independent funder of research into cardiovascular disease in the UK, powering the next breakthroughs in diagnosing, treating, and preventing the world’s biggest killer. 

To find out more about BEAT Breathlessness or register your interest for a future screening, email peoplesplace@evertonfc.com.

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