PIONEERING work to help care for a Thurrock man has been highlighted.

More than 100 patients with heart issues in Essex can now lead more normal lives thanks to being given round-the-clock support to manage their condition.

Heart specialists based at the world-renowned Essex Cardiothoracic Centre (CTC) at Basildon Hospital, part of Mid and South Essex NHS Foundation Trust, have expanded a service that remotely monitors how well a patient's heart is working from data that is constantly sent by a device implanted in the heart.

If it detects any issues, it sends an alert to the cardiology team, made up of staff based at the CTC and in the community, who can contact the patient within 24 hours to check on their wellbeing. If needed, clinical staff can then change the patient's medication, schedule an appointment, or give advice about eating and drinking.

There are around 100 active patients currently supported by the service at Basildon Hospital, with more set to benefit as the service plans to expand across mid and south Essex.

One of those patients is Sam Cross, from Grays, who had a pacemaker and defibrillator implanted in May after spending time in intensive care and having conditions including atrial fibrillation, where the heart can beat very quickly.

He's now supported by the monitoring service and loves the freedom and peace of mind it gives him and his family.

He said: "It's like I've got a paramedic in my pocket, which is nifty because the hospital will know I've had any issues before I do. Being monitored gives me the confidence to plan things with my family, and it's very reassuring. I know I'm in good hands and it's taken a big weight off my mind."

Such early intervention stops conditions such as heart failure from getting worse, preventing patients having to be admitted to hospital in an emergency.

Cardiology Consultant Dr Henry Oluwasefunmi Savage.

Dr Henry Oluwasefunmi Savage, Consultant Cardiologist and Heart Failure Service Lead at the Trust, said: "We are one of the only few centres in the country to offer this vital innovation. This is fantastic news for patients as we are improving their care by starting or changing their treatment sooner. By monitoring a patient's heart remotely, we can spot any issues earlier than through a regular check-up."

As well as remote monitoring of a heart's condition, the device can also support hearts in traditional ways, including acting as a pacemaker or restarting a heart if it stops.