Heart failure

This section is provided for health professionals (GPs, dentists, pharmacists etc).

Members of the general public are welcome to use these pages but should be aware that they are not written with them in mind. Please choose an option on the left for information aimed at the general public.

Rapid access heart failure clinic

A Rapid Access Heart Failure clinic has been available at the Royal Sussex County Hospital since August 2007, running along similar lines to the highly successful Chest Pain service in Brighton.

The aim of the clinic is to provide assessment within two weeks for patients either with new symptoms or those with established heart failure where there are diagnostic, therapeutic or other management issues. The principle objective is to provide an immediate management plan, and cut down the current high number of admissions to hospital resulting from uncontrolled heart failure.

Referral is directly to the cardiac department with a standard heart failure form in exactly the same way as the rapid access chest pain service (fax no: 01273 684554).

Up to six patients are seen each Wednesday afternoon in the Royal Sussex County Hospital outpatient clinic, where echo and other diagnostic facilities are available to make it, as far as possible, a one-stop service.

Depending on the diagnosis and findings, patients are either referred back to the community (with the support of the new community heart failure team if necessary), or followed up in secondary care (eg with significant valvular disease).

This clinic is part of the joint initiatives by the PCT heart failure group and secondary care services in Brighton. It is supervised by Chris Davidson, consultant cardiologist in the first instance with registrar cover when needed. It should be stressed however that this should not, as with the chest pain service, prevent direct referrals of individual patients to specific cardiologists where appropriate.

• Rapid access heart failure clinic referral form (90kb Excel form)
• Rapid access heart failure clinic patient pathway (100kb Word file)

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Screening echocardiography

Since 2006, GPs have been able to refer patients with suspected heart failure direct to a weekly screening service at Hove Polyclinic. The purpose of the service is to offer GPs faster access to diagnostics, provide patients with a faster and more convenient service and to ensure the best use of specialist outpatient appointments in the hospital trust. The service is suitable for patients with suspected heart failure – complex patients should still be referred to the cardiologist at Brighton Sussex University Hospitals Trust.  Please refer to the attached referral pathway to ensure appropriate referrals.

The echos will be performed by a cardiac physiologist from Brighton & Sussex Universities Hospital Trust, with support from a consultant cardiologist in attendance at Hove Polyclinic for immediate clinical advice where necessary. The echocardiography consultant will review random samples of echocardiograms performed to ensure standards are being met. The service has been commissioned to ensure a waiting time of no longer than two weeks, and reports will be despatched to the referring GP within two days of the procedure.

The clinics will normally take place on a Thursday at Hove Polyclinic, with capacity for ten patients in each session. 

To refer a patient please ensure you fax the attached referral form to:

The Royal Sussex County Cardiology Department
f: 01273 664979

To make an appointment direct on Monday to Friday between 10:00 - 12:00 and 14:00 - 16:00: 

t: 01273 696 955 extension 7940

Please note that phone bookings also require a faxed referral form.

For more general queries and further information please contact:

Kristiina Parkinson
Commissioner for community services
Brighton and Hove City Teaching PCT
t: 01273 545430
e: kristiina.parkinson@bhcpct.nhs.uk

• Referral criteria  (174kb Word file)
• Referral form (895kb Word file)

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BHF community heart failure specialist nurses

The BHF Community Heart Failure Specialist nurses assess, support and advise people who have been diagnosed with heart failure, and support and advise their relatives and carers. Their aim is to improve patient outcomes and to prevent people being readmitted to hospital unnecessarily by providing expert care and support at home. The nurses provide help for patients and their carers to manage a chronic condition including advice on medicines, exercise and diet, and end of life care; as well as specialist advice to health professionals.

Referral criteria:

• Adults aged 18+
• Registered with a Brighton & Hove GP
• With a confirmed diagnosis of heart failure by Echocardiogram (if not please phone to discuss)
• Please note that we do visit patients in nursing homes/residential care

AND one or more of needs below

• Patient needs to be initiated/titrated on ACE I and/or Beta Blocker
• Patient is not symptom controlled on current medication
• Patient has palliative care needs and not being managed by palliative care nurses/district nurses (we can be used for advice only if these teams are already involved and able to offer shared care if appropriate)
• Patient/carer not well informed about condition and struggling with self management strategies
• Patient has had a recent hospital admission with exacerbation of heart failure
• Patient has a new diagnosis of heart failure and needs information and education

A referral form will need to be completed and can be faxed or posted to:

Fax: 01273 265596

Post:
Brighton General Hospital
Jevington 1
Elm Grove
Brighton
BN2 3EW

All referrals will require a management plan.

Heart Failure Office: 01273 265595
Jeni Bayly: 07887994439
Gail Budgen: 07917246707
Jacqueline Hunt: 07748 144143 or the above office number, extension 3173

(Mobile numbers are for health care professionals use only)

• Referral form for BHF community Heart Failure Specialist Nurses (128kb Word file)

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