Leeds hospital heart unit creates virtual walk to unite patients and families

The psychology team at LGI's congenital heart unit came up with the #LeedsHearts challenge to help bring together its network of patients - many of whom are shielding and heavily isolated due to their conditions.

It encourages people to get walking and clock the number of steps taken in order to complete a virtual walk around Yorkshire, Humberside and North Derbyshire - the area the unit holds its clinics.

And so far, families - as well as the unit's staff - have racked up an impressive two million steps in less than three weeks.

Sara Matley, consultant clinical psychologist at the unit, said: "It was an idea to help connect people. Obviously we've got a proportion of our patients, especially the adult patients, who are on the more extreme end of shielding in the current situation - so they're not really supposed to be engaging with their families even - a bit like prison.

"So it was just a way of helping people connect and helping them realise they are not on their own and give them something to focus on.

"Even if they can't go out, they can walk around their living room 10 times just to contribute to the whole by adding those steps in."

Each week, a different destination is released along with the total steps needed to reach it from Leeds.

Week one involved 'walking' to Airedale and Bradford and families clocked up an impressive 800,000 steps in that week alone.

Second week was walking to Huddersfield and Halifax which collected over one million steps and this week the 'walk' is to York and Harrogate which, by Tuesday, had already reached a total of over 300,000 steps.

Next week the destination will be Hull and Grimsby.

Sara said: "It's going really well. Thye've been smashing it every week. I do think it's giving people a little bit of a focus and helping people take part in something bigger. And it helps them when they see staff getting involved too - they love to see that."

Along the way, people are encouraged to donate to the Children's Heart Surgery Fund, which supports the unit.

Earlier this year, the Yorkshire Evening Post launched the Have a Heart campaign, to try and help CHSF reach its goal of £1m in donations this year.

Since the coronavirus pandemic hit, the charity has been forced to issue an urgent plea for donations after losing a "significant portion" of its yearly income - thought to be around £300,000 over the three months.

To donate to their appeal visit https://www.justgiving.com/campaign/CHSF-heart-unit-needs-youTo take visit https://leedscongenitalhearts.com/sections/view/139/grand-tour-of-leeds-congenital-heart-network. Steps can be logged via the website, by emailing [email protected] or add them on the Leeds Congenital Heart Unit's Facebook page with the tag #leedshearts.

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