Heart of the Community: Pumping Marvellous heart health checks in Sussex

In our latest blog post, Ginny Common shares her reflections on attending a Pumping Marvellous heart health check event.

In mid June 2026, I was lucky enough to witness the impact of bringing diagnostic services directly into the heart of a local community.

Working with Pumping Marvellous, the heart failure charity, organisations across Sussex came together at the Pelham in Bexhill to provide heart health checks for the local community. Partners included East Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust, University Hospitals Sussex NHS Foundation Trust, Bexhill Primary Care Network (PCN), NHS Surrey and Sussex Integrated Care Board and Health Innovation Kent Surrey Sussex (KSS).

Patients identified through GP surgeries from across Bexhill were invited to the Pelham for health checks, including blood pressure and heart rate monitoring. Those with higher readings were offered a finger-prick blood test to check NT-proBNP levels, a marker associated with heart failure. This activity was designed to identify people who may have been living with undiagnosed or unmanaged heart and circulatory conditions and ensure they could access the right care and support.

Health Innovation KSS supported this event by providing funding and offering an extra pair of hands to support on the day. Whilst at the event, I was able to talk directly to patients in Sussex, whilst taking them through the preliminary check list in readiness for their time with the clinicians. It was an opportunity to find out about their reasons for attending, hear their thoughts on the event and get a general sense of how they felt towards their local health and care system.

Before attending, I envisaged easy, casual chats with people while they were waiting. I was also prepared for the odd person who wouldn’t want to engage. However, I was blown away by how many people attended – there was a queue at least 100 meters long outside the Pelham for the majority of the day. As I watched people queue in the heat, it struck me that this wasn’t the ideal environment to ask them a long list of questions, however friendly and informal the approach.

So, I had to pivot. The long list of questions became a simple, “How are you?”, and, rather than being the instigator, I became a listening ear. There were people who were nervous, people who were confused about why they were there, some were more frail than others and some were thrilled with the outreach from their local healthcare system. However, many people simply appreciated having the opportunity to share what was on their mind. What stayed with me most was that, despite some very understandable frustration about the queues, confusion and heat, people stayed. Their willingness to do so underlined the need for opportunities to access care and diagnosis closer to home.

Since the event, the following outcomes have been shared:

• 405 residents screened
• 194 recorded raised blood pressure
• 133 of the 194 were not recorded as taking blood pressure medication and were now given the right course of treatment
• 9 previously undiagnosed cases of atrial fibrillation (AF)
• 5 recorded raised NT-proBNP levels indicating heart strain or heart failure and sent for further assessment.

For those who attended, this event helped answer important questions about their health, provided access to appropriate follow-up care and demonstrated the value of bringing screening services into the heart of the community. I hope to be involved in more events like this across KSS in the future. It is a powerful reminder that effective healthcare is about more than tests and technology, it’s about meeting people where they are and taking the time to listen.

For more information please visit: Community heart screening event identifies hidden cardiovascular disease in Bexhill 

Find out more about our work in cardiovascular disease here

Image of Pumping Marvellous van courtesy of NHS Surrey and Sussex ICB