The service supports patients with a confirmed diagnosis of heart failure with reduced pumping function of the left ventricle (the heart’s main pumping chamber).
After being cared for at UHDB’s Queens Hospital in Burton following a diagnosis, the patient will be transferred home where they will receive ongoing care and support from MPFT’s nurse-led Community Heart Failure team. Should a patient’s health deteriorate they will be referred back to the Consultant Cardiologist at UHDB.
The new service replaces an interim consultant-based heart failure service which has been provided in the area by UHDB.
Jennie Collier, Managing Director of MPFT’s Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent Care Group said: “I’m really pleased this new specialist service will begin taking referrals to support patients in the community from 1 December. There has been a lot of hard work to get to this point and I would like to thank both our staff and colleagues at UHDB for working together so effectively.”
Duncan Bedford, UHDB’s Executive Managing Director at Burton said: “It goes without saying, but it is absolutely essential that patients with serious heart conditions are able to receive quality care when they need it and that we make it as easy as possible for them to do so. The new Community Heart Failure Service will allow us to offer exactly that by ensuring that patients are able to access our help, both in hospital and within the community – in their own homes.
“I am delighted that we are now able to offer this service and am extremely grateful to our staff and our MPFT colleagues for working together to offer this vital support, for the benefit of our community.”