Buddy Service

Beat SCAD Buddies

If you need to talk to someone who understands what you’re going through, we can help.   

A SCAD diagnosis can be scary and isolating, but it can be very helpful to talk to someone who has had a similar experience. Someone who ‘gets it’, and who may have experienced the same worries, concerns and emotions you have and can help you to cope with your diagnosis and find ways to move forward.

If you would like to find out more about the Beat SCAD Buddy Service, complete the request form below. Someone will then get in touch to find out what kind of support you need. For some people a one-off chat may be enough initially. For others, an ongoing Buddy relationship will be more useful. If that is the case, we will match you with one of our trained volunteers for regular telephone, email or face-to-face support.

The Buddy Service launched in November 2020. We aim to reply to your request within 5 working days – please check your spam/junk email folder if you don’t see a reply in your inbox.

In the event that we receive more requests for a Buddy than we can support, we will contact you to discuss joining a wait list of future Buddy Service users.

We would encourage all SCAD patients to consider joining the SCAD UK and Ireland Survivors page  where (as of November 2020) there are more than 840 fellow SCAD survivors ready to support, advise and inspire you as you recover.   

Click here for the family members and friends of SCAD Survivors group.

How the service works

1. Click here to complete our request form.

2. We’ll get in touch to discuss the support you need.

3. We’ll match you with a Buddy.

4. Your Buddy will contact you.

For more detail about the Service please see below.

 

Our Buddies are people just like you who have a personal experience of SCAD. They are not trained medical experts or counsellors so cannot offer any medical advice or mental health support, but they can identify with what you are going through, will have great empathy and be able to point you in the right direction to get more information and help.

We will match you with a Buddy and they will get in contact with you. Your Buddy may live in the same part of the country as you, or may have a similar health background, for instance have had a baby just before their SCAD or been diagnosed with an associated condition, such as FMD (Fibromuscular Dysplasia).

Hopefully you’ll build a rapport with your Buddy and chat regularly about how you’re getting on. Your Buddy will be able to introduce you to other SCAD patients in or near your area if you would like them to do so.

All of our Buddies are trained volunteers who will do their best to support you the best way they can.

When you use the Buddy service you will be listened to, treated with dignity and respect, supported and signposted to helpful sources of information and to other services in your area that can help you on your road to recovery.

Please note that we aim to:

  • Keep everyone safe We have a duty of care with regards to both users and providers of the Buddy service and have a safeguarding policy in place. In the unlikely event that we think your life or the life of anyone you care for is in danger, we will contact the emergency services.
  • Be confidential but not anonymous Buddies and users of the service must use real names, not social media names or other aliases. What you discuss with your Buddy will remain confidential. Your Beat SCAD Buddy will be supported by other Buddies and the Trustees of the charity as they support you, and on some occasions Buddies may discuss issues with other Buddies and Trustees in order to help you. We will at all times adhere to Beat SCAD’s privacy and data protection policies.
  • Set boundaries We can listen, talk, empathise, signpost and provide information about SCAD, but we are not clinical professionals and we do not give medical advice or provide counselling services.
  • Agree timescales The length of time that you wish to have a Buddy for will be discussed, agreed and reviewed periodically by you and your Buddy. If either party wishes to end the arrangement, they may do so at any time.
  • Accept no liability We are not liable for the consequences of any actions you take after using the Buddy service.
  • Ask for feedback To allow for ongoing improvements to the Buddy service and to assist the safeguarding process, both your Buddy and you will be asked to provide some feedback to Beat SCAD. Any information you provide will be stored and used in accordance with our privacy policy.

Safeguarding Click here to read our Safeguarding statement.

Data Protection We take your privacy seriously. We will only use your information to provide the services you have asked for and/or consented to. Click here for more information and here to read our full Privacy Policy.

Complaints Click here to read our Complaints policy.