Community Cardiology Service

Healthcare Central London’s Community Cardiology Service offers care close to home for cardiology patients. It is available to any patient aged 18+ who is registered with one of HCL’s member Practices and who has a cardiology condition, such as palpitations or arrythmia, but who does not require an emergency referral. In emergency situations, such as a heart attack, please call 999 immediately.

See HCL’s member Practices

How do I make an appointment?

Please make an appointment with your GP who will assess your condition and may refer you to our Community Cardiology Service or another service. An HCL Care Coordinator will review your referral and pass it on to a Cardiology Consultant who will determine the best care pathway for you.

What happens after my appointment?

There are a number of care pathway options for the Cardiology Consultant to consider based on your condition, namely:

Provide advice to your GP on how to help you manage your condition
Refer you to a Community Heart Failure Service, which is based at Maida Vale Medical Centre
Refer you for a community diagnostic test, such as an echocardiogram or ECG, at Pimlico Health @ The Marven
Refer you for a non-emergency hospital appointment
Advise your GP to send you to a Rapid Access Chest Pain Clinic or to Accident &  Emergency (A&E)
Take no further action

How much time will this take?

Once the Cardiology Consultant has received your referral, they will recommend a care pathway within three working days (if urgent), and five working days (if routine):

If your GP is going to lead on the next steps, the Cardiology Consultant will speak to  them directly
If you are referred to the Community Heart Failure Service or a non-emergency hospital appointment, the Care Coordinator will make the referral and send you a letter explaining that the service/hospital will contact you within 10 working days to arrange  your appointment
If you are referred for a community diagnostic test, the Care Coordinator will contact you by telephone and letter to book your appointment – the letter will contain a phone number and email address for you to book, cancel or rearrange your appointment

Once you’ve been seen at hospital or in the community (and subsequently discharged), your GP will be made aware of the outcome and the next steps within one working day.

What are the benefits of this service?

Our Community Cardiology Service aims to improve the quality of care and health outcomes for patients with cardiology conditions by ensuring that care is:

Provided as close to a patient’s home as possible
Delivered within a setting where the patient is also receiving other aspects of their care at the same time
Clinically safe and delivered to the highest quality in a timely and respectful manner
Reducing waiting times and improving the patient experience

How HCL’s Community Cardiology Service works

You make an appointment with your GP.
Your GP assesses your condition and, if appropriate, refers you to the Community Cardiology Service.
An HCL Care Coordinator reviews your referral and passes it on to a Cardiology Consultant.
The Cardiology Consultant recommends the right care pathway for you (e.g. GP, hospital, specialist service).
If you require further care or tests, you are contacted by your GP, the hospital or the specialist service to arrange an appointment.
Once you’ve been seen and discharged, your GP is made aware of the outcome and next steps.