ACERS Heart Failure

The ACERs Heart Failure Service is a nurse-led service providing care to patients with diagnosed heart failure, who are registered with a City and Hackney GP. 

The service aims are to: 

  • Provide care in the Community to optimise medications, monitor symptoms and reduce the risk of a hospital admissions
  • Provide Specialist Nursing input if patients are admitted to hospital, throughout their admission 
  • Facilitate the discharge process and act as the liaison between secondary and primary care

The Team

  • Tim Bowker – Consultant Cardiologist
  • Smita Dutta Roy – Consultant Cardiologist
  • Dr James Brown - Heart Failure Consultant
  • Laura Graham – Cardiorespiratory Consultant Physiotherapist
  • Sukhan Wilkins – Lead Heart Failure Nurse
  • Arthur Tadique – Heart Failure CNS
  • Estela Bailon – Heart Failure CNS
  • Cynthia Brizuela - Heart Failure CNS, virtual ward/rapid diuresis response
  • Mark Howard – Associate Heart failure CNS
  • Agi Karukappilly – Associate Heart Failure CNS
  • Salome Tavares – Inpatient Heart Failure CNS
  • Danielle Andrews – Team Administrator
  • Jerldine Pryce – Cardiorespiratory Assistant Practitioner
  • Sarah McGrath – Cardiac Rehabilitation Nurse
  • Marissa Ting – Cardiac Rehabilitation Nurse

The Heart Failure Virtual Ward/Rapid Diuresis Response (RDR)

This team provides rapid assessment, treatment and close monitoring of acutely decompensating heart failure patients, to reduce unplanned hospital admissions. Please refer if: 

  • the patient has one or more of the following signs and symptoms, and are at risk of admission despite adherence to oral diuretics:
    • significant weight gain
    • increased peripheral oedema/ ascites
    • increased shortness of breath/ orthopnoea/ Paroxysmal Nocturnal Dyspnoea (PND)
    • New York Heart Association (NYHA) class III/IV
  • the patient’s clinical signs cannot be attributed to any other treatable cause, (e.g. suspected Acute Coronary Syndrome (ACS), uncontrolled arrhythmia including Atrial Fibrillation (AF), bradycardia, infection, thyroid disease, anaemia, nephrotic syndrome, oliguric renal failure.

Resources

ACERS HF Nurse Referral Form

Heart Failure referral pathway. docx

Working Hours 
Monday to Friday, 9.00-17.00pm

Community Team contact

Inpatient Heart Failure Nurse contact

  • 0208 510 5555
  • bleep 095

Cardiac Rehabilitation Service