Our heart failure service provides specialist investigation and treatment for people with heart failure, which includes any condition where the heart does not function sufficiently for the needs of the body.

We aim to help patients understand their condition and the specific cause, if possible. We liaise with other teams as necessary in the case of more complex situations such as cancer and pregnancy. We make sure patients are as informed and involved as possible in decisions on their care and where possible, we provide treatment and care locally in the community.

Conditions and treatments

Heart failure has many causes including coronary heart disease, valvular heart disease, hypertension, cardiotoxicity, heart muscle disease (e.g. hypertrophic or dilated cardiomyopathy), infection-related heart disease, infiltrative heart disease (e.g. iron overload, sarcoidosis, amyloidosis), storage disorders (e.g. Fabry’s) and pregnancy-related heart failure.

We also run a dedicated frailty clinic, at some of our sites, for older people with heart failure.

Each type of heart failure may require very different treatments; however we have expertise in the following:

  • Medications to help with symptoms of fluid overload
  • Medications shown to improve symptoms, quality of life and prognosis
  • Device treatment (e.g. pacemakers) to help improve heart efficiency
  • Device treatment to help treat very abnormal heart rhythms
  • Specialist nursing support for education and optimisation of treatment
  • Cardiac catheter treatments and/or surgery
  • Onward links for mechanical support and/or transplantation

We have close links with our inherited cardiac conditions colleagues and can help facilitate family screening and genetics tests.

Clinics

Charing Cross Hospital heart failure clinic

Address

5 North Outpatients Clinic
Charing Cross Hospital
Fulham Palace Road
London W6 8RF

Contact

Phone: 020 3311 1278

Hammersmith Hospital heart failure clinic

Address

Peart Rose Clinic
C block
Hammersmith Hospital
Du Cane Road
London W12 0HS

Contact

Phone: 020 3313 7367

Community locations

A number of our clinics are offered in community locations. Please check your appointment letter for details about the exact time and location of your appointment.

Hammersmith & Fulham heart failure clinics

Phone: 020 3312 3290

Parkview Practice, Parkview Centre for Health & Wellbeing
Cranston Court
56 Bloemfontein Road
London W12 7FG

Kensington & Chelsea heart failure clinic

Phone: 020 3312 3290

St Charles Hospital
Exmoor Street
London W10 6DZ

Westminster heart failure clinics

Phone: 020 3312 3290

Maida Vale Medical Centre
The Westminster Diabetes and Cardiac Centre
4B Maida Vale
London
W9 1SP

Millbank Medical Centre
20 Page St
Westminster
London SW1P 4EN

Meet the team

Consultants

Dr Carla Plymen, clinical lead
Dr Dominique Auger
Dr Graham Cole
Dr Gajen Kanaganayagam
Professor Jamil Mayet 
Dr Shuli Levy
Dr Punam Pabari

Heart failure nurse consultant

Carys Barton

Heart failure specialist nurses

Clare Screeche-Powell, lead nurse
Catriona Brennan
Suki Chahal
Judith Chilcott
Lorraine Lackey
Victoria Mitchener
Audrey Osei-Owusu
Clare Pengelley

Ealing community heart failure nurses

Barbara Byrne
Cynthia Balabala
Urmila Phuyal
Jiby Kalapurackal
Catherine Smith
Elisabeth Wareham
Sunitha Poovathumkal

Heart failure specialist pharmacists

Stewart Wilson 
Faye Windsor

Heart failure phychologist

Dr Ghiselle Green

Heart failure admin team 

Sumnina Gurung
Conor McNulty
Mariam Mohamoud

Patient information

Before your appointment

We will book an appointment for you within 10 working days of receiving a referral letter from your GP. The date and time of your appointment will be sent to you via a letter in the post. If there is any doubt that the letter will not arrive in good time you will be contacted by phone.

You are welcome to bring a family member, friend, guardian or carer with you to the appointment. If English is not your first language or you may need help with translation, then please do bring a relative or friend who is able understand English well in order to retain information and help organise your visit. If you do not have someone who can translate for you please let us know and we can arrange for someone to be present to help with this.

You are welcome to ask for a chaperone and we will endeavour to provide one for you. 

You do not need to prepare for this appointment, however it is very important to bring all your medications to your appointment. It would be helpful if you could bring the following:

  • Full address and telephone number
  • Appointment card and appointment letter
  • GP's name and address
  • A list of questions you may want to ask the team

At your appointment

Prior to your appointment you will have an ultrasound of your heart (echocardiogram).

Upon arrival please visit the main reception. We will make every effort to ensure you are seen on time but sometimes a delay is unavoidable. Our team will ensure you are kept up to date about any delays.

On the day of your appointment you may also have an ECG (electrocardiogram; electrical recording of your heart) and your team may request blood tests.

Most people only need to be in the department for a maximum of an hour.

You will see a consultant or one of their team (heart failure specialist nurse, pharmacist or registrar) at your appointment. They will discuss the results of any tests you may have had as well as their findings and recommendations. You may be referred for further tests or your condition will be further managed in the community. The doctor will discuss next steps with you.

Please note that we are a teaching hospital, so medical students may be present for some appointments. If you do not wish to have them in the room please let the doctor or nurse know and the students will be asked to step outside.

After your appointment

Following your appointment the doctor or nurse will send recommendations and advice to your GP in a letter. You will receive a copy of this letter.

Learn more

Watch this video from the British Heart Foundation to learn more about heart failure. 

Patient information leaflets

Refer to this service

GP referrals and advice

If you are concerned that your patients are experiencing heart failure, you may use NHS e-Referrals to refer a patient to our heart failure service.

All new patients will require a recent echocardiogram (within six months) and/or a NT-proBNP or BNP prior to an appointment being made.

Secondary care referrals

Secondary care providers may email imperial.hfu@nhs.net to refer a patient to this service.

If you would like to refer a patient who is not registered with a GP in Westminster, Kensington & Chelsea, or Hammersmith & Fulham, please contact the team at Hammersmith Hospital.

Self-referrals

If you were discharged from the heart failure service in the past year but feel you need to be seen again please contact the heart failure nurses on 020 3312 3242 or speak to your GP.

Additional information

Research 

Research is central to our heart failure service. There are a number of on-going clinical trials that the team may discuss with you during your appointment or contact you afterwards to discuss in more detail. 

Further online resources

Education 

We offer heart failure elective placements – please contact the lead consultant for more information.