For Young People Aged 13-24
We are committed to supporting you as you start your Transition Journey aged 13 and leading up to your Transfer from Paediatrics to Adult Services and beyond, until your 25th birthday.
Our Youth Workers have an ‘honorary contract’ with University Hospitals Bristol & Weston NHS Foundation Trust, which means they have access to the wards and can visit you during hospital stays.
The Youth Workers can attend outpatient appointments so you have someone with you for reassurance, to explain jargon or help you through your appointment.
They can see you outside hospital if you want to chat about school, college, planning for university, benefits, jobs, apprenticeships or anything else you would rather discuss outside of the hospital environment.
If you need to find some useful resources for information for topics like mental health, money, body image, sexual health, we can help with that too!
The Rescue Rucksack (pictured here) is our inpatient engagement and boredom busting tool. As you can see it is full of colouring pages, card games and some board games.
Each young person we see is asked to pick a sew on patch that adds some of your personality to the bag. It used to be a grey rucksack (left picture) but has now grown into the orange bag you see in the picture on the right.
We will be transferring all the original patches over to the new orange bag. In the meantime the youth workers still use the grey rucksack as a work bag, so wherever they go, you all go too!
I do wish I had had the support of someone like them when I was younger, especially in my transitionally years. I feel by having them to talk to now, it is definitely aiding my acceptance of transition and healing some trauma from not receiving it when I needed it but I think it is a fundamental part of growing up with a heart condition, to have someone to help you along the way, who isn't a family member whom you let take control. It is important to understand your own heart condition and understand the risks, especially as a teenager with someone like them who is independent but 'on your side'."
PB, Young Person
Explore Youth at Heart
Youth at Heart are a charity committed to young people aged 13-24, and their families, who are living with Congenital Heart Disease (CHD) in South West England and South Wales.
We empower, inform and support them to live their best life.
For the whole family
Youth at Heart recognise that congenital heart disease affects the whole family, which is why our Youth Workers are there for families too.
For professionals
Youth at Heart is a charity independent from the NHS that works in partnership with health professionals across the South Wales & South West Congenital Heart Disease Network.
Get involved
Youth at Heart rely on funds being raised through donations, grants, events and activities and for people to get involved to help us carry on our important work.
Print materials
If you're interested in getting access to our printed materials, please contact us to let us know your name, address and how many posters and leaflets you require.