Nurse-led Services: Cardiac Specialist Nurse Team

Emma-Jane Trayner, Nurse Consultant Cardiology (BHF Foundation)
Email: emma-jane.trayner@nhs.scot
Tel. 01851 608711

Western Isles Hospital, Macaulay Road, Stornoway, Isle of Lewis, HS1 2AF. Tel. 01851 608711. Email: wi.bhfcardiacnurses@nhs.scot 

The Cardiac Specialist Nurse Team provides the following services:

Heart Failure Service: Care and management of  people living with Heart Failure with reduced ejection fraction.

Cardiac Rehabilitation Service: Following a cardiac event such as ‘heart attack’ or cardiac surgery, or for those identified as being at high risk of developing cardiovascular disease.

Familial Hypercholesterolaemia (FH) Service: This service identifies and guides treatment for people who have FH – a genetic cause of high levels of cholesterol, and carries out ‘cascade testing’ of the family members of people affected by FH.

Chest Pain Clinic : Diagnostic clinic to investigate where stable angina is suspected (primarily by the way of CT coronary angiography).

As detailed above.

We offer:

Heart Failure Service:

• Education and support following diagnosis and longer term support – how to live with this long term condition.
• Prescribe heart failure medicines, titrating medicines over a period of time until target or optimal doses are achieved.
• Respond to changes in patients condition e.g. by adjusting doses of ‘water tablets', where necessary.
• Ensure that patient is considered for appropriate therapies and treatments.
• Teach patient and carers to self-monitor symptoms and self manage where appropriate.
• Supportive or Palliative Care where required.

Cardiac Rehabilitation Service

• Education and support following diagnosis.
• Clinical care – prescribe appropriate medicines and ensure correct referrals and therapies for each patient.
• Assessment of lifestyle modification needs.
• Support lifestyle change – to achieve long term changes to reduce risk of further events.
• Sports Centre or Home Based Exercise Programme, which incorporates all of the above – based on individual needs.

Familial Hypercholesterolaemia (FH) Service

• Screens for and carries out genetic testing for FH.
• Carries out ‘cascade testing’ of families of people known to have FH.
• Advise General Practitioner on appropriate drug therapies depending on response to treatment.

Rapid access chest pain clinic

• Investigation, diagnosis and treatment of stable angina, including referral for coronary angiography.
• Feeds in to Cardiac Rehabilitation service where diagnosis confirmed.

Heart Failure Service:

• Home visiting where required.
• Out Patient clinics: Held weekly at Western Isles Hospital's Ambulatory Care Unit. 

Cardiac Rehabilitation Service

• Home visiting where required.
• Out Patient Clinics: Held weekly at Western Isles Hospital's Ambulatory Care Unit.
• Cardiac Rehabilitation Exercise Programme: Individualised exercise programmes tailored to each patient by a physiotherapist from the Western Isles Hospital.

Familial Hypercholesterolaemia Service

• Out Patient Clinic: Western Isles Hospital's Ambulatory Care Unit.

Chest Pain Clinic

• Western Isles Hospital's Ambulatory Care Unit.

Heart Failure Service

Referral by GP, Consultant, or other healthcare professional following diagnosis of Heart Failure with Reduced Ejection Fraction.

Cardiac Rehabilitation Service

Referral by any healthcare professional following diagnosis of Heart Attack, Angina, Heart Failure or following Cardiac Surgery i.e. bypass surgery or valve surgery, following implantation of a Cardiac Defibrillator, diagnosis of FH, or identified by healthcare professional as being at high risk of developing cardiovascular disease using a screening tool.

Familial Hypercholesterolaemia Service

Referral by healthcare professional for assessment for genetic testing, or process of ‘cascading’ relatives of people known to have FH.

Chest Pain Clinic

Referral by GP or Consultant.

Lewis & Harris
Ambulatory Care Unit, Western Isles Hospital, Macaulay Road, Stornoway, Isle of Lewis, HS1 2AF.
Tel. 01851 608711

Uists & Barra
Uist & Barra Hospital, Balivanich, Isle of Benbecula, HS7 5LA
Tel. 01870 603600

Email: wi.bhfcardiacnurses@nhs.scot

• Cardiac Rehabilitation – Exercise Programme Information leaflet
• Familial Hypercholesterolaemia leaflet

• NHS inform
• British Heart Foundation
• Chest Heart Stroke Scotland
• Pumping Marvellous
• NHS Lothian Heart Manual
• NHS Heart Manual REVASC