Matthew has pledged to work with the Arrhythmia Alliance and its sister organization, AF Association, to demand the creation of a national screening programme for people over 65 at risk of AF. Currently, more than 500,000 people have undiagnosed AF and are at an increased risk of suffering an AF-related stroke.

At a Know Your Pulse event held in Parliament hosted by the Arrhythmia Alliance and AF Association on Wednesday 16th November, Matthew signed a pledge calling on the UK National Screening Committee to reverse its previous recommendation and to endorse a commissioned National Screening Programme for People over 65 years of age at risk of AF. The event raised awareness of the importance of a simple manual pulse rhythm check in helping to detect AF and Parliamentarians who attended had a pulse check and an ECG hand-held recording.

AF is the most common heart rhythm abnormality and is associated with a third of ischaemic strokes, which are typically more severe and debilitating for the patient. Data from stroke registries show that both unknown and untreated or under-treated AF is responsible for most of these strokes.

Matthew said: “I was shocked to hear about the numbers of people walking around completely unaware that they have AF and that they could be at risk of a debilitating or life-threatening AF-related stroke.

“I commend the work of the Arrhythmia Alliance and AF Association and their call for a national screening programme. The pulse rhythm check I had taken showed just how simple and easy it is to identify someone who may have AF.”