Cardiology Clinical Assessment & Treatment Service …coming soon!

Our service What is our service? – Cardiology CATS (Clinical Assessment & Treatment Service) Who has commissioned the service? – West Herts PCT/St Albans & Harpenden Practice Based Commissioning group (STAHCOM) Who is providing the service? – West Herts Hospital Trust working in partnership with Parkbury House Surgery When does it start? – January 2008

Our objectives To establish and continue to develop a patient pathway which is high quality, timely, efficient local and patient centred. To help manage patients within their practices using specialist advice, feedback and support. Ensure excellent communication with referring doctor, patient and the CATS. To maintaining good relationships with our colleagues working within the health economy.

Who are the team members? Dr John Bayliss, Consultant Cardiologist Dr Richard Pile, GP with a special interest in Cardiology (almost!) Heart Failure nursing team Health Care Assistant Cardiac physiologists Administrator/s

What will the service provide? Routine cardiology CATS for our locality. Referrals triaged by consultant and GPwSI and then seen as appropriate by the cardiology CATS team Diagnostics as required, available locally Secondary care referral (if required), through Choose and Book. We do not accept referrals for chest pain or urgent problems; these referrals should be directed to secondary care as usual, including the Rapid Access Chest Pain clinic Patients will be seen at St Albans City Hospital on Wednesday mornings in a joint Consultant and GPwSI clinic, for new patients and follow ups Prescriptions – for up to 14 days Primary care educational programme & feedback

Diagnostics 24 hour ECG (with a view to eventually offering a specialist nurse-led arrhythmia clinic) 24 hour blood pressure monitoring Echocardiography (now available for general referrals as well as the heart failure diagnostic clinic) ECG interpretation service (for non-routine ECG’s for which a GP requires a specialist opinion/advice

How to refer to us – NOT YET CREATED!!). Needs to be from an address ending in Fax – number TBA Post - Cardiology CATS, SACH No urgent/RACPC referrals please

So why should I refer to the CATS? …because the service will be: primary care-based local & convenient good quality offering more than before preserving relationships with local provider saving your practice (& STAHCOM) money!