Cardiac rehab services return to Daventry and South Northants

Cardiac patients living in Daventry and South Northamptonshire are set to benefit from rehabilitation services closer to home.

From Thursday, cardiac rehabilitation services including education and exercise programmes will be delivered from Danetre Hospital. 

The services, commissioned by Nene Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) and delivered by Northampton General Hospital, will be provided for 15 hours each week.

Julie Mason-Wright, directorate manager at Northampton General Hospital, said: “The reintroduction of services to the Daventry area means that patients will be able to receive their care closer to home. They’ll have one-to-one consultations with our cardiac nurse as well as a tailored exercise programme led by our exercise instructor. Operating for 15 hours a week initially, we will ensure there are regular reviews to make sure the service is responsive to the needs of local people.”

Dr Yassir Javaid, cardiovascular clinical lead, Nene CCG, said: “Bringing cardiac rehabilitation back to the community, closer to patients’ homes, in Danetre is an excellent development. Having run a community heart failure service at Danetre for a number of years I know what a wonderfully convenient venue it is for patients. Cardiac rehabilitation is an important initiative that facilitates significantly both the mental and physical recovery from such a potentially devastating complication as a heart attack. It is clearly a very cost effective and sustainable thing to do.

“Nene CCG is passionate about supporting and helping to develop cardiac rehabilitation in the community. There is a wealth of evidence for benefit, not just for patients who have had a heart attack, but also for patients who have undergone cardiac surgery such as valve surgery. More recently, a Cochrane review has clearly demonstrated the benefit of exercise based cardiac rehabilitation in patients with heart failure, a condition which has a worse prognosis than most cancers. Cardiac rehabilitation appears to reduce the risk of such patients being hospitalised by around 60% but is currently offered to only a minority of such patients”

Lesley Jeffers, Daventry North GP locality chair at Nene CCG, said: “I am very pleased that cardiac rehabilitation is now available again at Danetre Hospital. It is an extremely important service for patients and families at a stressful time in their lives, and the fact it can now be accessed at Danetre Hospital is fantastic news for Daventry and the surrounding villages.”

Viv Crouch, chairperson for Daventry District Heart Support Group, said: “What fantastic news, community-based cardiac rehab is to return to Danetre Hospital. This follows a rigorous campaign to reinstate the service over a period of nearly two years following its abrupt departure March 2013. 

“May I take the opportunity to express grateful thanks to all residents in the Daventry area who have taken the time to back our urgent plea for help. Our voices have been heard and the vital service will once again be able to provide the crucial support for both patients who have received treatment in hospital following their heart event and family members.

“Special thanks extend to Rosie Newbigging and team from Healthwatch Northamptonshire,   Tim O’Donovan at Nene CCG, patient representatives, Chris Heaton-Harris MP for Daventry, Daventry district & town councillors, media coverage from Daventry Express, BBC Northampton Radio, BBC TV local news and all members of the Daventry & District Heart Support Group without whose determined effort, commitment and support our goal may not have been realised. It is hoped that a complete robust CR service will return in the near future.”

Rosie Newbigging, chief executive officer at Healthwatch Northamptonshire, said: “Healthwatch Northamptonshire is delighted that vital cardiac rehab services are to be reinstated at Danetre Hospital. This should result in people in Daventry and surrounding areas now being able to access, more easily, life-saving support and advice following a heart attack. 

“Heart disease is one of the biggest causes of early deaths in Northamptonshire and so Healthwatch Northamptonshire is pleased to have played a role in returning this important service to local people. 

“It is a real tribute to the local campaigners who have worked tirelessly to bring this service back. We want to work with the NHS locally to make sure that heart patients across the county have access to the best possible service. This is a great step in the right direction.”

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