Our team is made up of specialist nurses, an assistant practitioner, and an administrator. We also work closely with the consultant cardiologists at Homerton Hospital.
We deliver care with a combination of remote monitoring, face to face clinics in the community or at some GP practices, or home visits for people who are housebound.
When we see you, we will assess your symptoms by taking a history from you and doing a physical examination that will include checking for swelling (oedema), measuring your vital signs and weight.
If we feel you will benefit from medication changes, this will be discussed with you. Your GP will be informed of any changes we make.
We recommend the following:
Drink no more than 1.5 litres a day (include all cold and hot drinks, soup, and milk on cereals)
Do not have more than 6g salt a day.
Avoid using LoSalt (a salt substitute) as this can be harmful for people taking some heart failure medications.
monitor weight daily if possible.
Contact your heart failure nurse if:
your weight goes up by over 1.5kg within a short space of a few days.
you become more breathless.
you notice new or increased leg swelling or feel more bloated.
you need more pillows at night to help you breathe better in bed.
have a new cough.
feel more dizzy or tired than usual.