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Heart Failure – Integrated Community Service

What we do

We work together with Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust to provide specialist heart failure services in Southwark and Lambeth community clinics. We aim to treat your condition closer to home, help you understand and manage your symptoms, and support you with lifestyle changes. To do this we:

  • regularly review your prescriptions, to ensure you are on appropriate medications based on the most up-to-date evidence.
  • provide educational materials for people with heart failure and their families or carers, to enable them to manage symptoms.
  • work with your GP and other health professionals involved in your care.
  • work with psychologists, psychiatrists and social care professionals to provide psychological or social support where needed.

You can be referred to us following a hospital admission, by your GP, or through a hospital outpatient appointment. You will be seen in a community clinic, or at home if you are unable to come to a clinic. King’s also provides hospital-based heart failure services.

Preparing for your appointment

To cancel or change your appointment, call 020 3049 4652.

Please bring to your appointment:

  • any medications you are taking
  • any recent information you may have been given by your doctors or health care professionals.

During your appointment

Your first appointment will usually last an hour. Follow-up appointments usually last 30 minutes. At your appointment, you can expect:

  • a clinical examination and/or assessment
  • a review of the medicines you are currently taking
  • advice and support regarding your lifestyle.

We are a teaching hospital, which means our students get practical experience by treating patients. Please tell your nurse or doctor if you do not want students to be involved in your care. Your treatment will not be affected by your decision.

After your appointment

A letter will be sent to you and your GP. It will include a heart failure management plan and details of any follow-up appointments. If you have any concerns, please contact any member of the heart failure team or your GP.

Locations

Lambeth Community Clinics

  • Akerman Health Centre, Patmos Road, Brixton, SW9 6AF
  • Gracefield Gardens Health Centre, 2-8 Gracefield Gardens, Streatham, SW16 2ST
  • Lambeth Community Care Centre, Monkton St, Kennington, SE11 4TX
  • Whittington Centre, 11-13 Rutford Road,Streatham, SW16 2DQ

Southwark Community Clinics

  • Artesian Health Centre, 137-138 Grange Road, Bermondsey SE1 3GF
  • Lister Health Centre, 101 Peckham Road, Peckham SE15 5LJ

Contact Details

  • Community team coordinator: +44 (0)20 3049 4652

We manage patients with confirmed heart failure in community clinics, and provide Southwark and Lambeth GPs with help and guidance on managing patients who have heart failure. We have five locality teams across Southwark and Lambeth, with their own dedicated heart failure specialist community nurse and consultant cardiologist. Two specialist pharmacists also work across Southwark and Lambeth. GPs are welcome to contact us to discuss a patient. Full contact details are below.

Where appropriate we can conduct joint patient visits with GPs and other health professionals. We can also visit Southwark and Lambeth GP practices to provide:

  • virtual clinics
  • heart failure register reviews
  • education sessions.

Diagnostic pathways and medication guidelines

What is required before referring a patient

We can only accept referrals which include a copy of the formal echocardiogram, as this is required to provide safe and appropriate care.

Booking a patient at King’s

Routine Referrals

Tel: 020 3049 4652
Email: [email protected]

For suspected heart failure, refer to Cardiac non-invasive diagnostics.

Emergency Referrals

We do not take emergency referrals. For emergencies, speak directly with the on-call registrar by calling King’s switchboard on 020 3299 9000, bleep 111.

Other Queries

You can email the locality heart failure specialist nurse team on [email protected]. For same-day advice on the management of confirmed heart failure patients, phone the specialist nurse in your dedicated heart failure locality team.

To contact a consultant (for diagnostic queries, admissions avoidance and complex patient management), email the mailbox: [email protected]. Response within 24 hours, Monday to Friday.

For medications advice, adherence or polypharmacy reviews contact heart failure clinical pharmacists, Clare Thomson and Gayle Campbell:
Email: [email protected]
Mobile: 07918 338 862

For service queries and comments, contact Carys Barton, lead heart failure specialist nurse:
Email: [email protected]
Tel: 0207 188 6459 / 07717 690 515

Key Clinical Staff

Name Role
Ms Julia deCourcey Consultant Nurse Specialist
Prof Theresa McDonagh Consultant Cardiologist
Dr Sue Piper Consultant Cardiologist