The following clinicians are responsible for outpatient and inpatient heart failure services:
- Dr James Gamble
Consultant Cardiologist, Clinical Lead for Heart Failure - Dr Chiara Cirillo
Consultant Cardiologist - Dr Shawn Morais
Consultant Cardiologist, Horton General Hospital - Professor Kazem Rahimi
Honorary Consultant Cardiologist - Rebecca Bone
Consultant Nurse - Helen Nolte
Lead Nurse Heart Failure Team - Helen Jackson
Advanced Nurse Practitioner
Patients with a suspected diagnosis of heart failure should be referred via e-Referral to the Heart Failure Clinic.
We will triage by urgency, using the criteria on the referral proforma. We can offer appointments at the John Radcliffe Hospital in Oxford, the Horton General in Banbury, and a limited number of appointments in Bicester.
Where appropriate, we may provide advice only rather than arranging a clinic appointment.
Where echocardiography alone is required for other reasons, please refer for community echocardiography in the normal way.
Please do not refer patients with suspected heart failure and a raised BNP for echocardiogram alone, they should be referred to the heart failure service so they can be clinically triaged.
For email advice, GPs should please use the standard email advice line.
Email: gpcardiologyadvice@ouh.nhs.uk
For patients known to the Heart Failure service, please contact the clinicians directly (email) or the Heart Failure Nurses.
Email: heartfailure.oxford@nhs.net
Criteria for referral to secondary care
Suspected heart failure, as per the proforma. Please see Heart Failure Oxfordshire.
The following criteria apply to referral of patients back to secondary care with an established diagnosis of heart failure.
Any persistent symptoms on therapy, and eligible for secondary care treatments as per guidelines above, or in addition other factors complicating existing heart failure such as:
- new onset of angina, symptomatic atrial fibrillation or other arrhythmia
- women who are planning a pregnancy or who are pregnant
- heart failure that can no longer be managed effectively in the home setting
- patients thought to be eligible for therapy with implantable devices (pacemaker, CRT/ICD).
Oxfordshire Community Heart Failure Nurse Service
Oxfordshire Community Heart Failure Nurse Service works in conjunction with the Heart Failure Service at the John Radcliffe and Horton General hospitals to provide support for the management of heart failure patients in the community.
The community team provides education and facilitates treatment protocols for patients with heart failure.
Referral criteria
- Left Ventricular Systolic Dysfunction must be confirmed by echocardiogram (with left ventricular ejection fraction EF <45 percent)
- New York Heart Association (NYHA) classification grade III/IV
- Patients requiring palliative care for heart failure
Community Heart Failure Nurses are not currently commissioned to see patients with heart failure and preserved left ventricular function. Please follow the management advice at Heart Failure Oxfordshire.
Contact details
Tel: 01865 904808
Email: communityheartfailureteam@oxfordhealth.nhs.uk
