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Ken Timmis MBE JP LCIE President Heart Care Partnership (UK) Patient Representative Black Country Cardiovascular Network Board Chairman Wolverhampton Coronary Aftercare Support Group
Ken Timmis MBE JP LCIE
PresidentHeart Care Partnership (UK)
Patient RepresentativeBlack Country Cardiovascular Network Board
ChairmanWolverhampton Coronary Aftercare
Support Group
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NO CONFLICT OF INTEREST TO DECLARE
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What I want to know about a service and
am I prepared to travel to get the
quality I am after?
A patient’s perspective
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Most, if not all, coronary interventions these days are very expensive, and nearly all are beyond the
means of ordinary patients.
They are also very costly to the National Health
Service budget.
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As a result of the latter it has for some time been
necessary to concentrate the more expensive
procedures in specialist centres.
In these times of austerity and cutbacks more and more procedures are of
necessity being centralised.
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Reasons:1. It would be impossible to produce
the infrastructure and staff in every hospital
2. It would be highly expensive
3. There would be a risk of lots of services doing small volumes of activities with possible worse outcomes overall
4. They would probably be more inefficient
5. These services need teams working together to achieve better outcomes
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When faced with the possibility of
undergoing such treatments as a
patient, do I find this acceptable and am I prepared to travel
long distances to get a better quality service?
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First and foremost I have questions that
must be answered before I decide what to
do
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I want to know:
a. the options. Is the same service available nearer to home?
b. the advantages of travelling
c. the disadvantages of travelling
d. the outcomes (i.e. survival rates)
e. what is involved
f. the length of stay in hospital
g. is the centre easily accessible for my visitors?
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Also1. I want to know that the Surgeon or
Cardiologist who will be operating on me fully understands all aspects of my case.
2. I also want to know that he/she is fully aware of my case history.
3. I need to be convinced that a Multi-Disciplinary Team (MDT) have reviewed my angiograms and have together decided the best way forward, taking into account all the facts, including my personal wishes, preferences and fitness for revascularisation.
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Obviously I want the best possible
treatment by the best possible surgeon with
the best possible outcome
If I have to travel to achieve this, then so
be it
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For General Services and minor operations
Expect Local Treatment
-o0o-
For Specialized Treatment
Be prepared to travel
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Useful information for patients
can be found on the Care Quality Commission/SCTS
website:
www.heartsurgery.cqc.org.uk/index.aspx
And also in British Heart Foundation literature
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