Meet our speaker: Professor Ahmet Fuat

Atrial fibrillation: current developments

Professor Ahmet Fuat, GP, GPSI in Cardiology Darlington and Honorary Professor of Primary Care Cardiology at Durham University

At the conference, Professor Fuat will be discussing the following:

• The importance of diagnosing and managing atrial fibrillation optimally
• Where we are with the Detect, Protect and Perfect toolkit figures outlined in NHS long term plan and public health ambitions.
• The importance of perfecting oral anticoagulant doses especially for direct oral anticoagulants

Speaker spotlight

Why did you choose to become a healthcare professional?

I chose to become a healthcare professional because I grew up with three medical uncles and one pharmacist one in Cyprus and saw the brilliant work they did daily. I developed an interest in cardiology because my father died aged 47 of a myocardial infarction whilst undergoing exercise treadmill testing, and this had a huge impact on me and my family.

What is your biggest achievement in medicine?

My biggest achievement has been working in the same practice as a GP for 36 years and this year being awarded with the Northern Echo Health Care Outstanding Achievement award having been nominated by patients and colleagues.

What are the most important lessons we need to learn from the Covid-19 pandemic?

That Covid affected the poor, deprived and BAME groups much more than others, highlighting the huge health inequalities that have widened in the past 12 years, and was powerfully outlined in the Marmot Health Inequalities: 10 years on document. We need to learn and narrow the gap.

What do you think will be the biggest challenge for our ageing population?

The biggest challenge is living with long-term conditions and access to health and social care, which are both underfunded and understaffed.

If you could change one thing about the NHS, what would it be?

Properly fund it and allow healthcare professionals to be involved in future strategies.

Why is it so important that we discuss atrial fibrillation at our conference?

Atrial fibrillation is increasing in prevalence, is the commonest cardiac arrhythmia we deal with and without optimal anticoagulation can have devastating consequences of fatal or non-fatal stroke.

Biography

Professor Ahmet Fuat has been a GP in Darlington, Co. Durham for 33 years. He has been a GPSI Cardiology for 20 years having undertaken a Postgraduate Diploma in Cardiology at Bradford University graduating with distinction. He started the first one stop diagnostic and integrated heart failure clinic in the UK in 17 years ago with local colleagues. His PhD by research in heart failure diagnosis and management including work on natriuretic peptides generated several publications that have informed guidelines and led to the award of an Honorary Professorial Chair at Durham University.

He holds various roles in CVD and research including the Past President of the new Primary Care Cardiovascular Society (PCCS) which he was instrumental in reforming, CVD Clinical Adviser to the RCGP, CVD and Research Leads for Darlington Primary Care Network (PCN) and Federation, Associate Lead for Industry Research at North East and North Cumbria NIHR CRN. He has recently been elected onto the newly formed Darlington PCN Governing body as a GP member, CVD, Research Leads and Chair. He has a passion for medical education and remains an active lecturer, tutor and researcher. He is on the editorial boards of the British Journal of Cardiology and Primary Care Cardiovascular Journals and a peer reviewer for most high impact Cardiovascular journals and research bodies. His work in community cardiology has been recognised with Fellowships from the RCGP, RCP London and RCP Edinburgh.

To find out more about our annual conference, Health and ageing in post Covid NHS, please visit our events page.

This conference is accredited with six CPD points.