A former nurse and tutor from Usk who specialised in renal care has joined a unique health research initiative in Wales to help fight against major diseases and is urging others to do the same.

Sue Cowburn who is 57-year-old has signed up to HealthWise Wales, a flagship Welsh study aiming to better understand the health and wellbeing of the nation, to develop better treatments for a range of conditions.

People aged 16 and over and living in Wales are being asked to take 10 minutes to complete an online survey as part of HealthWise Wales, a project led by Cardiff and Swansea Universities and backed by the Welsh Government.

It is the first scheme in Wales to build a picture of future health needs. It collates detailed health and wellbeing information from people of all ages and backgrounds.

This information will then be used to plan future health services and invite people to take part in further relevant health research on specific conditions and their management and treatment.

A mother of two, Sue worked for 14 years as a sister and nurse tutor at Guy’s Hospital in London before leaving to have a family in 1992.

During her time as a nurse, Sue saw many cases of renal problems and saw first-hand how research initiatives such as HealthWise Wales could benefit the NHS.

She said: “I first heard about HealthWise Wales around three years ago, and thought it was a great resource and a way to get people thinking about their health.

“My background is in renal care, which is something that’s grown close to my heart over the years. I would love people to realise the importance of this area of their health as kidney problems can be the result of heart disease, high blood pressure and diabetes. The more cases of diabetes there are, the more renal problems we’ll see, so it’s something to consider when looking to the future of the country’s healthcare.

“This is why I believe HealthWise Wales is such a good idea, as I can see how the research would benefit the NHS in terms of finding new treatments and in planning for the future, improving on current practices and making the health service more efficient.

“I’ve always been passionate about healthcare, as I come from a family of GPs and was surrounded by people from the medical profession while growing up. My mother also has type 1 diabetes, and understanding the impact that has and how to deal with it has been a big help to her.

“It’s important to me that as many people as possible sign up to the initiative. There’s so much information out there, but people need to take the time to absorb that knowledge and apply it to their own lives. I think that awareness of your own health can lead to a better quality of life, and will also help the NHS to save money and resources in the future.”

Those who register at www.healthwisewales.gov.wales will be contacted every six months to complete questions about their health and lifestyle and wellbeing, so that researchers can track changes in health and study how to prevent the onset of ill-health, treat and manage a range of health conditions. In addition, participants will also be contacted about new research studies that they can take part in if they wish to do so.

To find out more and to complete the survey, visit www.healthwisewales.gov.wales, or call the HealthWise Wales team on 0800 9 172 172/02920 768 090 between 8.00am and 7.00pm, Monday to Friday.