Improving the waiting times for outpatient follow up for patients admitted to cardiology wards of Castle Hill Hospital with uncomplicated acute coronary syndrome or atrial fibrillation with fast ventricular response

Abstract

The waiting times of cardiology patients from Castle Hill Hospital (CHH) for outpatient follow up have been noted to be significant.
Preliminary data, looking at the time till clinic review for patients previously admitted to the cardiology wards of CHH with either
uncomplicated acute coronary syndrome (ACS), or primarily for rate control of atrial fibrillation (‘fast AF’) showed that against a target of 3
months from discharge till clinic, patients were waiting a median of 214 days, with 38.5% of patients not even having a clinic date booked
after one year. Late follow up could result in delays in picking up and acting upon developing clinical issues, failure to titrate medications to
optimum doses, and increased anxiety and frustration for patients. Junior doctors also often report struggling to obtain adequate clinic
experience and opportunities during their training.
In an attempt to reduce these delays and training difficulties our team implemented clinics performed by senior house officers (SHOs), who
would aim to see both uncomplicated ACS and fast AF patients within 2-4 weeks from the point of discharge.