We offer a comprehensive multi-disciplinary service for the diagnosis and management of patients with heart failure.
We also try to identify all in-patients with a primary diagnosis of heart failure to help with management and assist with discharge planning.
Outpatient / Community Service
There are three clinics each week (Wed – Fri), and we will see ‘Urgent’ referrals are seen within two weeks. These clinics are all ‘Rapid Access’ and offer:
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Where appropriate, we offer rapid review of patients following discharge from hospital either in clinic or at home. We also choose to monitor many of our frail, elderly and more dependent patients at home. On average we undertake 20 -25 domicillary visits per week.
If necessary, we assess patients urgently in the Medical Day Unit (MDU) and provide intravenous furosemide therapy both in clinic and at home to help prevent hospital admission.
We maintain close links with community services and palliative care teams across the region and are planning to extend the availability of specialist rehabilitation for heart failure patients by providing a dedicated service in our MDU.
We hope to expand our service further, to include a specialist clinic for patients with heart failure requiring devices, during 2010.
Location
Outpatient 2 (Main Building)
Referrals
A Heart Failure Referral form is available on the hospital website ( www.west-middlesex-hospital.nhs.uk under ‘Health Professionals, Referrals’) which can be faxed to 020 8321 5318. We will try to contact the patient directly to arrange an assessment as quickly as possible.
Please call us at any time during the working day to discuss urgent problems or for advice.
Contact
Heart Failure Team: 020 8321 5332 (answerphone)
Secretary (Dr C Chapman): 020 8321 5449
Switchboard: 020 8560 2121 Bleep 077 or 373
Fax: 020 8321 5318
Rapid Access Chest Pain Clinic
The Rapid Access Chest Pain Clinic (RACPC) allows specialist assessment of patients with suspected new onset Angina within the National Service Framework for coronary heart disease targets of two weeks from referral. Standard 8 of the framework states “People with symptoms of Angina or suspected Angina, should receive appropriate investigation and treatment to relieve their pain and reduce their risk of coronary events”.
The clinic provides a one-stop service involving clinical assessment and investigations to confirm or exclude coronary artery disease. The RACPC also sets the patients onwards to evidence-based treatment (revascularisation).
The RACPC, through identification of Cardiac Risk Factors, enables people to assess their values, attitudes and beliefs. It is hoped that this process will empower people to contemplate on behaviour changes.
Advice is given on lifestyle modification in order to reduce the cardiovascular risk.
The clinic is a success because of the partnership and collaboration between the GPs, A&E staff, physicians who refer patients to the service, and the specialist nurse who runs the clinic supported by the medical members of the cardiology team and diagnostics department.
Patients are respected and involved throughout the journey through the clinic.
Location
Outpatient department 2, main building.
Referrals
Please fax the referral form, along with copies of any relevant investigations (lipids, fasting glucose, ECG).
Contact
Tel: 0208 321 6241 / 6243
Fax: 0208 321 6242
Useful links
Upbeat Heart Support Group www.upbeatheartsupportgroup.com
British Heart Foundation www.bhf.org.uk
Patient leaflets
Our patients receive a hand held record incorporating a medication record, clinic notes, observations, blood results, cardiology test results and comprehensive information and lifestyle advice.
