Cardiovascular Rehabilitation Service (Cardiac Rehab)

Who we are

Our inclusive, friendly service can help support you following a diagnosis or admission with a heart or vascular condition.

Our team consists of:

• Registered Cardiovascular Rehabilitation Nurses
• Clinical Exercise Physiologists
• Specialist Dietitian
• Pharmacists
• NIHR Research Practitioner
• Administrator
• Volunteers

With support from Heart Failure Specialist Nurses, Cardiology Specialist Consultant Cardiologists, GPs with extended role in Cardiology

What we do

The Cardiovascular Rehabilitation Service helps people recover and resume a full life as quickly as possible following a heart attack, stent or coronary artery bypass. They also help people maintain and improve physical fitness if they have a heart condition such as heart failure.

The Cardiovascular Rehabilitation programme offers exercise, education and support, medication titration (adjusting your medication dosage) as well as peer support from other people attending.

Who can access the service

You must be aged 16+ years.

Referrals are accepted for numerous cardiovascular conditions. We currently accept referrals for the following conditions:

• Recent heart attack (myocardial infarction)
• Recent heart stent (percutaneous coronary intervention with coronary stent)
• Recent heart surgery (coronary artery bypass surgery)
• New diagnosis of heart failure
• New diagnosis of angina

How to access the service

Referrals are received directly from Wirral University Teaching Hospital (Arrowe Park Hospital) or Liverpool Heart and Chest Hospital following an admission with a heart condition.

GPs, Practice Nurses and other health professionals can also refer appropriate patients via email. Self-referrals are not accepted.

Contact details

You can contact us via the following methods:

Main department: Ground Floor – Wing 2, St Catherine’s Health Centre, Derby Road, Birkenhead, Wirral. CH42 0LQ

Email: [email protected]

Telephone: 0151 604 7307 (option 1)

Changes to appointments can be requested via telephone on 0151 604 7307 (Option 1) or via email on [email protected].

Non-attendance at appointments will follow Trust policy.

Current research projects

The service is research active, meaning that we are involved in clinical research projects. We are currently involved in the following projects. If you meet the eligibility criteria for one of our current research trials, we will discuss this with you further when we receive your referral. You are under no obligation to take part in any research trial, irrespective of whether you meet the criteria.

REACH-HFpEF: Randomised controlled trial of a facilitated home-based rehabilitation intervention in patients with heart failure with preserved ejection fraction and their caregivers: The REACH-HFpEF Trial The REACH-HFpEF Trial – Health Research Authority (hra.nhs.uk)

ACTIVATE: Cardiac rehabilitation for people with chronic stable angina: a randomised controlled trial ACTIVATE – Health Research Authority (hra.nhs.uk)

Self-care resources

The service’s Facebook page provides lots of self-care resources which can be accessed 24/7. There is also a closed group linked to the page for those currently accessing (or have previously accessed) the service for peer support – this group is monitored by staff.

Wirral Cardiovascular Rehabilitation Facebook page – https://www.facebook.com/wirralcardiacrehab

Other resources can be found on our Useful Resources page including educational videos covering all topics relating to heart health. We encourage those referred to the service to access the educational videos (either online or in person) at their earliest opportunity.

Course was tailored to my needs and staff were very friendly, knowledgeable, helpful and understanding.

All the staff were very friendly and caring. They took time to ask if I was ok and feeling well and noticed if I wasn’t feeling too good. It was also good to be with people who had been through the same thing as me and to discuss their feelings and how they were recovering.

All the staff are very friendly and helpful. Nothing is too much trouble.