A man from Hartlepool with chest issues has praised a Teesside NHS one-stop heart service – the first of its kind to be run in the country.
After first experiencing chest pain earlier this year, Henry Cassford has been cared for in the rapid access chest pain clinic since at North Tees and Hartlepool NHS Foundation Trust.
The 69-year-old was referred to the service by his GP in April, first having a telephone assessment, followed by a visit to the one-stop clinic at the University Hospital of North Tees where he was examined by a nurse practitioner.
He then had a CT scan – with the results going to the HeartFlow service which helps clinicians create an effective care plan.
These results are also discussed by the service at its weekly multi-disciplinary team meeting who discuss treatment options.
Explaining how the issue started, Henry said: “I was walking along Stockton high street when I started experiencing a real tightness in my chest.
“I went to get it checked out with my GP, who referred me to the cardiology team.
“And since then I have had treatment from NHS staff from across hospital sites and at home and am over the moon with the care I have had.”
Henry has since been prescribed medical management (tablets) to help treat the issue and, if the symptoms continue, be could be referred to The James Cook University Hospital for an invasive coronary angiogram to have a stent (short wire mesh tube) inserted to help keep the arteries open.
As part of the clinic, patients like Henry can also be cared for by the community heart disease team for home rehabilitation and medication support – with nurse-led meetings held weekly to pick up patients needing further care.
Care closer to home
Henry has since had follow up care from the community team and appointments with the cardiology team at the University Hospital of Hartlepool near to his home.
The former steelwork civil engineer, added: “From the moment I had the initial treatment I have been seen quickly and had everything explained to me by the different teams I have seen.
“And thanks to the care I have had, I am feeling much better. If I have any issues, I just need to speak to the team and can be seen for further treatment.”
Melloney Threlkeld, lead cardiac nurse practitioner, said: “The rapid access chest service has totally transformed in the last two or three years – so much so that we now aim to test patients within two weeks of being referred by their GP.
“We believe we are the first trust to be running a one-stop service of this type in the country.”
The rapid access clinic has also benefitted from the way cardiology and radiology teams at Trust work closely with colleagues at South Tees Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust so that patients can be quickly referred to specialist services across the Tees Valley.
Lauriann Smith, cardiac nurse practitioner, added: “This has been possible because of the way the cardiology teams work together across two health trusts over a number of years.
“It means that if initial treatment at one hospital isn’t enough, we can give patients further treatment at another hospital within a matter of weeks.
“This is something that may have taken several months to do before we had this service.
“It is a massive change and one which is benefitting patients across the region.”