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About this service
The Royal Cornwall Hospitals Cardiology department looks after patients with acute and chronic heart conditions such as congenital heart defects, coronary artery disease, heart disease, heart failure and people who have had heart attacks.
We offer a wide range of nonsurgical Cardiac interventions and services to both inpatients and outpatients. We work closely with GPs, Community Cardiac Nurses, telehealth and Acute care at Home to provide a holistic service for our patients, helping them manage and improve their conditions and daily life.
Inpatients will most likely stay with us in the Cardiac Investigation Unit, a 19-bedded Cardiology Ward.
The Cardiac Catheter Labs
Cardiac catheterisation is widely used to both diagnose and treat patients with known or suspected heart disease.
At the Royal Cornwall Hospital, we have two modern and well equipped Cardiac Catheter Laboratories. Many of our patients attend as day cases and don’t need to stay overnight in hospital.
The labs perform a variety of cardiac procedures, including:
- Diagnostic coronary procedures
- Interventional coronary interventions
- Internal Cardiac Defibrillator (ICD) procedures
- Pacing procedures
- ICD and Biventricular Pacing
- Electro physiological (EP) procedures
Our specialist Heart Function nurses
The Royal Cornwall Hospital Heart Function Nursing service provides clinical and educational support for patients who are admitted to hospital with heart failure. We also provide an outpatient rapid-access diagnostic clinic (The Rapid Access Heart Function Clinic). The clinic makes sure patients referred to our service by their GPs undergo appropriate imaging and are provided with a relevant clinical management plan. This ensures that their cardiac condition is identified and managed in a timely way. The team will also refer appropriate patients to the community-based Cardiac Specialist Nurses for ongoing support with condition-related education and clinical management.
Our cardiac chest pain specialist nurses
The Royal Cornwall Hospital Trust Chest Pain Specialist Nursing service provides clinical review and management advice for patients who present to the Royal Cornwall Hospital with chest pain suspected to be cardiac in origin and symptomatic coronary artery disease.
We liaise closely with the emergency medical teams and the cardiology team. We also provide an outpatient rapid-access chest pain assessment service (Rapid-Access Chest Pain Clinic) for patients presenting to their GP or the Emergency Department, with symptoms suggestive for stable angina.
Rehabilitation for patients with Heart Disease
We work with a multidisciplinary team of health professionals to help rehabilitate patients with cardiac disease and support them to achieve and maintain optimal physical and psychosocial health.
This service is run by cardiac nurses, exercise technicians and physiotherapists who provide exercise and educational programmes across Cornwall to people who have had heart surgery or suffered a heart attack.
The rehabilitation service is available in hospital, at home and as an outreach service. We are also supported by pharmacists, dieticians, occupational therapists, heart failure and practice nurses and strongly encourage the involvement of partners, other family members and carers.
Contact information
- Telephone: 01872 252018
Cardiac catheter laboratories
Lab telephone: 01872 254625
Heart function nurses
Telephone: 01872 253018
Email: rch-tr.heartfunction@nhs.net
Chest pain nurses
Telephone: 01872 252911
Email: rch-tr.ChestRef@nhs.net
Cardiac rehabilitation
If you are a cardiac inpatient at the moment, please contact:
- Telephone: 01872 253740
- Email: rch-tr.cardiacrehab@nhs.net
If you have already been discharged from hospital, please contact:
- Telephone: 01872 246904
- Email: cpn-tr.communitycardiacservices@nhs.net
Where to find us
This service has multiple locations, which may change due to construction work. Your appointment letter will tell you where to go; please read it carefully before attending.
Information about heart failure and heart attacks
This content is supplied by the NHS website nhs.uk
Heart failure
Heart attacks
Patient Information (Leaflets)
Professional careers in cardiology
Click here to find out more about careers in cardiology, or see the Trust’s current vacancies on our careers website.
Page last reviewed: 9 May 2023
