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Clinic locations
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St Thomas' Hospital
Cardiology outpatients
Ground floor, North Wing
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Guy's Hospital
Cardiology clinic
First floor (lifts/stairs C), Southwark Wing
Tel: 020 7188 1090/1082
Email: gst-tr.achd@nhs.net
Why is a follow-up necessary if you have congenital heart disease?
People with adult congenital heart disease (ACHD) will probably need lifelong specialist care. This is to help identify and treat any problems that may arise. The frequency of follow-up is determined by your condition and your symptoms.
At Guy's and St Thomas', we are committed to delivering the best possible care to you through all stages of your life. You will be looked after by a consultant who works closely with the rest of the team. If you know you have congenital heart disease and you are not receiving specialist follow-up, you can ask your GP to refer you.
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General clinics
Clinics at St Thomas'
- Mondays from 1.30pm with Dr Catherine Head and Dr Natali Chung
- Tuesdays from 9am with Dr Alessandra Frigiola
- Wednesdays from 1pm with Dr Harith Alam
- Thursdays from 1.30pm with Dr Natali Chung/Dr Gareth Morgan
- Monday monthly from 1.30pm with Dr Eric Rosenthal
Clinics at Guy's
- Fridays from 9am with Dr Yaso Emmanuel
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Specialist clinics at St Thomas'
- Cardiac obstetrics clinic - Monday morning
- Connective tissue disorder and cardiac genetics clinic - Thursday afternoon
- Congenital cardiac surgery clinics
- Transition clinics
- Pulmonary hypertension clinic - monthly
- ACHD interventional clinics - monthly
- Echocardiographer/nurse-led clinics - monthly
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Outreach clinics
Brighton and Sussex University Hospitals
- Contact: Dr Rachael James, consultant cardiologist
- Location: Sussex Cardiac Centre, The Royal Sussex County Hospital, Eastern Road, Brighton BN2 5BE
- Tel: 01273 696955
Eastbourne District Hospital
- Contact: Dr Guy Lloyd, consultant cardiologist
- Location: Eastbourne District Hospital, King’s Drive, Eastbourne, East Sussex BN21 2UD
- Tel: 01323 417400
Darent Valley Hospital
- Contact: Dr Winston Martin, consultant cardiologist
- Location: Darent Valley Hospital, Darenth Wood Road, Dartford, Kent DA2 8DA
- Tel: 01322 428100
Queen Elizabeth Hospital
- Contact: Steve Walker, specialist nurse
- Location: Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Stadium Road, Woolwich, London SE18 4QH
- Tel: 020 8836 6000
Medway Maritime Hospital
- Contact: Dr Adrian Stewart, consultant cardiologist
- Location: Windmill Road, Gillingham, Kent ME7 5NY
- Tel: 01634 830 000
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Patient initiated follow up (PIFU)
Patient initiated follow up (PIFU) lets you decide when to book a follow-up appointment.
It is an alternative to routine, booked follow-up appointments.
PIFU is suitable for you if you have a stable condition and you are able to self-manage. If your condition changes, you can contact the service through a dedicated helpline.
Your healthcare professional will discuss this option with you if it is available. If you are happy, we will add your name to the PIFU appointment list.
If you are on our PIFU appointment list and having a flare of your condition, please contact us.
A member of the team will assess you and offer an appointment if you need one.
Symptoms to look out for
New cardiac symptoms:
- chest pain
- palpitations
- unexpected changes in exercise capacity
- leg swelling and fainting or near-fainting
Potential symptoms of endocarditis:
- unexplained temperatures
- unexplained tiredness or general illness
- night sweats
- loss of appetite and weight loss
You can also email us about:
- pregnancy and contraception
- non-cardiac medications and medical care
- lifestyle issues such as exercise
- occupational health
- insurance and Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA)
- transfer to other ACHD services due to relocation
Your outpatient visit
When you come to see us in cardiac outpatients, you can expect to have several tests before or after you are seen. These may include:
- blood tests
- ECG (electrical tracing of the heart)
- Echocardiogram (ultrasound scan of the heart)
- x-ray.
Please bring your current medication list with you. You should expect to be in cardiac outpatients for approximately 2 hours.
Patient leaflets
Please see our main patient leaflets page for a list of leaflets produced by the cardiovascular department.
Further information on living with congenital heart disease
More information on transition, pregnancy, contraception, travel, insurance and lifestyle can be found on the following websites:
Invitation to join our patient forum
We would like to invite our ACHD patients and carers to join our patient forum. If you would like to join, please email gst-tr.ACHD@nhs.net.
We will email you from time to time about any ideas we have for new developments to make your service even better. Your views are important to us.
You can opt out at any time.
Patient survey results
Adult congenital heart disease service - summary and action points from most recent patient survey 2010 (PDF 88Kb).