Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the world’s number one killer, and conditions affecting the heart or blood vessels, such as heart attack, stroke, and heart failure, kill more than 20.5 million people every year (World Heart Federation, 2024). Every year on 29th September, World Heart Day raises awareness and mobilises international action against CVD to improve patient care.
In England, the NHS’ Long Term Plan identifies CVD as a clinical priority and the single biggest condition in which lives can be saved over the next 10 years. Consultant Connect services already supports over half the NHS across England, Scotland, and Wales with cardiology-related patient care via:
Enhanced Advice & Guidance
Available via Telephone, Photo or Messaging, our rapid Enhanced Advice & Guidance service connects clinicians with specialists at the touch of a button for comprehensive support on patient management. In some regions*, clinical Advice & Guidance is provided by out-of-area NHS consultants on our National Consultant Network (NCN) to back up existing lines or provide a service where a local one is not available.
‘A gentleman who’d had an ECG carried out in a walk-in facility came to see me for review. He’d been complaining of dizziness, and after assessing his ECG, it didn’t look normal. It wasn’t myocardial infarction or atrial fibrillation, but something was out of the ordinary. I took a picture of the patient’s ECG and forwarded it to a consultant cardiologist on the NCN. [They] responded within the hour, advising that it wasn’t a complete heart block and that referring the patient on a routine pathway would be appropriate. The patient was immediately comforted by this and was very happy that it was nothing to worry about and had saved him a trip to A&E.’
Dr Modupe Martins, GP in Sittingbourne, Medway & Swale ICP.
Referral Triage
Our clinically-led Referral Triage and Validation service supports Trusts needing additional temporary capacity for referral triage. The service uses the clinical expertise of NHS consultants across all main elective care specialties, including cardiology. Working remotely as ‘virtual locums’, they follow local pathways and protocols, and, under the leadership of the local clinical leads, support with triaging and validating waiting list backlogs in bulk and/or new referrals as they come in.
To date, we’ve triaged over 14,000 cardiology referrals. Where applicable, cardiology referrals were sent straight to test, with the results reviewed again by the consultant before deciding if an appointment was needed or if the referrals could be returned to primary care with a management plan. As a result, 41% of referrals were safely removed from the waiting list, and either sent to primary care with comprehensive and detailed advice, or redirected to a community provision or other service. The remaining 59% were directed to the right place, the first time.
‘In my experience, 25-30% of cardiology patients on waiting lists can be appropriately managed within primary care with detailed advice. These patients don’t necessarily need a diagnostic test, but would benefit from a management plan and some reassurance. Another portion of patients would benefit from a simple diagnostic test often available within primary care, such as an ambulatory ECG, echocardiogram or 24-hour blood pressure monitor, so we can request those tests and then rapidly review the results when they are returned.‘
Dr Stephen Cookson, NHS Consultant Cardiologist triaging referrals on the NCN for out-of-area NHS trusts.
* Please note that service features differ depending on locality.
If you would like to discuss how we can help support your NHS area’s cardiology provision, please contact us on hello@consultantconnect.org.uk or call 01865 261467.
