We are very excited to be launching our new website which is an important part of our strategy to raise awareness of SCAD, support patients and fundraise for more research.
The website has a much-improved design and better navigation for all audiences – patients, healthcare professionals, supporters, fundraisers and volunteers.
As part of the project to improve the website, we now have an integrated database so SCAD patients, supporters and healthcare professionals can register, give us their details and tell us what they want to hear about. Once registered, you will be able to securely access your details and update them at any time.
Our Shop is now fully integrated into the site too. As well as hoodies, t-shirts, lapel badges and more, you can order our free leaflets, In Case of Emergency cards and cardboard collection boxes. If you’re only ordering free items, postage will be free too!
History of our website
When Beat SCAD started in 2015, the trustees had very little experience of creating websites, so we commandeered the help of a few friends and colleagues and produced a site that has served us well for eight years.
However, alongside the website we had a customer relationship management (CRM) system to hold contact details and information about patients’ SCADs, and our Shop was on another platform. A lot of manual effort went into managing different systems and, as a charity run solely by volunteers in their spare time, this was not an effective use of time.
Last year we began working with Eonic Digital and went through a thorough 'discovery process’ to identify our aims and needs for redesigning our website. Eonic then came up with what we think is a fantastic design that meets our needs and will develop and evolve over time.
The new site includes…
- An Emergency page giving quick access to information about SCAD for healthcare professionals including paramedics, A&E and cardiology staff who may be treating a SCAD patient, including a reminder to treat the symptoms not the patient profile.
- Dedicated areas for Patients and Professionals with different content for the two audiences which can be accessed by all.
- Extensive information for patients about Symptoms and Diagnosis (including Recurrence, Genetics and Clinic Referrals), Living with SCAD (including Recovery, Emotional Impact, Hormones, Pregnancy after SCAD, as well as practical information about Travel, Returning to work and Advocating for Yourself).
- Topics such as Ongoing Chest Pain, Checking for Healing, Cardiac Rehab and Exercise are covered in depth.
- The Support page will help patients, families and friends find help.
- Patient stories now include filters so you can easily find ones that are of interest to you.
- Associated conditions, such as Fibromuscular Dysplasia (FMD) and Ehlers-Danlos Syndromes are covered in detail.
- There is information about SCAD research and how you can get involved.
- In the Professionals section, we have information about diagnosis, treatments, recovery, clinic referrals and research. Dr David Adlam, who is leading the UK SCAD research and runs a SCAD clinic, has provided in-depth information that will be useful for professionals.
- Fundraising and donations are vital for us to keep funding research and helping the SCAD community, so we have detailed information in the Get Involved section.
- In the Get Involved section you’ll also find information about volunteering for Beat SCAD.
- In the About Us section you’ll find lots of information about Beat SCAD, our Services, News, Events and Videos and more.
- And don’t forget to visit our Shop to buy Beat SCAD branded products to help raise awareness and raise funds!
Register as a patient/supporter or healthcare professional
We want to keep in touch with you about our activities so if you’re interested in hearing about research, support/volunteering and fundraising, please register via the new website.
If you are a SCAD patient, you can give us information about your SCAD that will help us collate statistics and campaign for more clinics and enhanced patient care.
If you have previously registered with us via our Keep in Touch form on the old website, please register on the new site using the email address you previously gave us. Once registered, you will be able to access your details. If you have any questions please contact us.
Please note, this is separate to signing up to take part in the UK SCAD research programme run by Dr Adlam in Leicester.
Thank you!
Thanks to everyone who helped us in this project, especially to Trevor, Luke, Victoria and Dov and the rest of the team at Eonic, who have designed and built a brilliant website fit for the next few years. They have been extremely helpful, professional and patient throughout the process. Working with a charity run by volunteers whose availability is restricted by their day jobs and family commitments doesn’t make managing a project like this easy or quick, but the team at Eonic has worked with us to ensure the end result is exactly what we wanted.
