- We run a Health Heart Clinic. This is a well person clinic aimed at assessing individual risk of developing vascular disease such as heart disease, stroke and artery occlusion and offering help to lower this risk where needed. Other routine screening programs are also run by the PCT and the practice such as smear testing, bowel cancer screening and breast cancer screening.
- The Health Heart Clinic is a structured service aimed at healthy patients between 40 years old and 75 years old to help reduce their heart disease risk.
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- Administration staff will invite patients who have no existing vascular disease and are between 40y – 75y to attend a nurse assessment.
- An initial appointment is arranged to see the practice nurse. She will take a history including existing conditions such as hypertension and diabetes, family history and smoking history. She will the perform relevant investigations such as blood tests for cholesterol and diabetes screening, urine testing , and will measure blood pressure readings, weight height etc.
- The nurse will give general advice about diet and exercise. She will give pointers on cholesterol and will advise on clinics available to help smoking cessation where relevant. Written advice will be provided from the British Heart Foundation via their heart disease prevention booklet.
- When the blood results return from the laboratory, one of our doctors will take all of the information obtained in the clinic appointment and with the results will calculate an individual personalised risk score for each patient. This risk score will estimate the risk of the patient developing heart disease in the next 10 years.
- Risk scores can be categorised into low risk (lower than 10% chance of the patient developing heart disease in the next 10 years), moderate risk (10- 20 % risk of the patient developing heart disease in the next 10 years) and high risk (greater than 20% risk of the patient developing heart disease in the next 10 years).
- The patient will then be sent a letter informing them of their results and their own risk score.
- If any medical condition is identified such as hypertension or diabetes the patient will be asked to see a doctor for further assessment and management.
- Any patient who has a high risk score risk (over 20% risk of the patient developing heart disease in the next 10 years) will be advised to see a doctor to discuss the options of active management of their risks. This will include measures they can take themselves such as weight loss, exercise, smoking cessation and dietary changes; it will also involve a discussion about medical interventions such as medication for blood pressure or cholesterol lowering etc. A review assessment is advised annually for these patients.
- Patients with moderate risk scores (10- 20 % risk of the patient developing heart disease in the next 10 years) will already have been given advice about weight loss, smoking, exercise and diet where relevant by the nurse. No medication would be routinely indicated but a review assessment is advised after 3 years.
- Patients who have a low risk will already have been given advice about weight loss, smoking, exercise and diet where relevant by the nurse. No medication would be routinely indicated but a review assessment is advised after 5 years
Further information about heart disease is available from The British Heart Foundation