In this service, we look after people who have problems with their heart. This could be heart failure, where the heart struggles to pump blood around the body properly. Or it could be heart disease. This is where the arteries in the heart get blocked. This can happen for a number of reasons.
You can find out more about these heart conditions here:
What services do we provide?
We look after people in an emergency if they are having a heart attack. We also provide planned services to help people live well with their heart condition. Click on the services below to find out more.
We use primary PCI to treat patients who need urgent treatment for a heart attack. It is a quick procedure to clear any blockages and restore blood flow to the heart. This takes place in our cardiac cath lab in Sunderland. We are one of only three Trusts in the region to do this.
We use pacemakers to help people if their heart does not beat at the right pace. It is a small device that we put in the chest. It sends electric pulses to your heart to make sure it beats regularly. We do this in our cardiac cath labs on both hospital sites.
We use a range of tests and scans to find out what is wrong with your heart. These include:
We provide a range of different clinics to support with your ongoing care. You will see a specialist in your heart condition. Together, we will review your symptoms and agree a plan to look after you and your heart. As part of your ongoing care, we will monitor your heart with tests and scans. We may see you in person at a clinic or via a telephone or video appointment.
We have a specialist team who will look after you as part of your rehab. We see patients who are still in hospital and people who need follow up care. We also visit patients at home. We will support you:
- to recover if you have had a heart attack
- to live well if you have a long-term heart problem
- to prepare if you are coming in for a planned procedure on your heart.
We provide rehab in a gym setting and do some of our tests to review your heart in a gym setting too. We will look at how well your medicines are working and review your symptoms. We will also help you to track and measure your heart using the My Heart app.
Our heart failure service looks after people in all care settings and at home. If you have a diagnosis of heart failure, we will support you to live well with your condition. We have a dedicated clinic for people who have advanced heart failure. We also care for people at the end of life.
Where will my treatment take place?
We have state-of-the-art cardiac cath labs on both of our sites. We treat both emergency and planned patients in these.
If you need to stay in hospital after your procedure, this will be on the following wards:
- Ward 6 - South Tyneside (click here).
- Ward B22 - Sunderland (click here).
In Sunderland we have a Chest Pain Assessment Unit (CPAU) (click here). This is where we assess patients who arrive at hospital with urgent heart problems.
We also have a Coronary Care Unit (click here). You will stay here if you have a more serious heart problem.
We run outpatient clinics from lots of Trust locations (click here). You can find the details of these locations below and how to get here. Your appointment letter will let you know which location to go to.
Where can I find out more?
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- British Heart Foundation – click here
- British Society for Heart Failure – click here
- Heart Research UK – click here
Our senior team in Cardiology
-
Clinical Director - Dr Mickey Jachuck
-
Divisional Director - Sheena Fish
- Directorate Manager - Fiona McKinley
- Lead Matron - Ruth Linney
