Cardiac Rehabilitation

A diagram of the 6 steps to cardiac rehabilitation Cardiac rehabilitation is the next important step of a patient’s journey when recovering from a cardiac event such as a heart attack, coronary angioplasty or insertion of stents, coronary artery bypass surgery or heart-valve surgery.

Our multi-disciplinary teams of specialists will improve your health; reduce symptoms and further problems to improve your quality of life through

  • Patient information - about cardiovascular disease, risk factors and treatments, healthy eating and alcohol, physical activity, psychological issues and medication
  • Exercise - physical activity is important to prevent further heart problems. We help you to regain your confidence and think about how you can continue to exercise after the programme has finished
  • Stress management and relaxation - helping you to emotionally adjust to your health condition, deal with stress and techniques to help you relax
  • Support – you have full access to the cardiac rehab team to ask questions to receive needed support. Our programmes focus on the recovery from your acute event and the long-term management of coronary heart disease, helping you to come to terms with it and support recommended changes to your lifestyle.

Phase 1 - While you are in hospital

A member of the cardiac rehabilitation team will visit you on the ward prior to transfer to your local hospital or discharge home. They will discuss with you and your family, your event, recovery, lifestyle modification and answer any questions, queries or worries that you might have.

You will be given literature to take home and read and details of the local cardiac support group. You will also be given contact details for cardiac rehabilitation for you to call if you have any queries or worries.

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Phase 2 – When you are at home

You will receive a phone call from the cardiac rehabilitation team to ask how you are progressing.

We will also try and answer any of your questions and if necessary ask you to attend a nurse led clinic appointment.

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Phase 3 – Exercise and education programme cardiac rehab

If you live locally you will be invited to attend a structured exercise and education programme either at the purpose built air conditioned gym on of our three hospital sites, or if preferred a home based programme. 

These programmes can last 4 – 8 weeks and attendance can be once or twice a week depending on your individual needs.

Patients out of our area will be offered very similar programmes depending on what their local service provides.

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Contact us

Basildon

Call 01268 394076 between 9am and 5pm, Monday to Friday.

Mid Essex area

Call 01245 516376 between 9am and 5pm, Monday to Friday, or for medication call 01245 514822.

Email mie-tr.cardiacrehab@nhs.net

Southend

Call 0300 443 8988 between 8.30am and 4pm, Monday to Friday (excluding bank holidays).

Email mse.cardiac.rehab.suhft@nhs.net

Patient information

NOTE: these videos have been produced by colleagues from the Western Trust in Ireland. There may be some reference to their local service, which is not applicable to us.

Have you signed up to Cardiac Rehab? 

It’s an important as taking your medicine and gets you back to active living –see  www.cardiacrehab-eastofengland.nhs.uk   for more information and videos.

British Heart Foundation - www.bhf.org.uk/informationsupport/support/cardiac-rehabilitation-at-home

Support services

Basildon and Thurrock

MyHeart - www.mymhealth.com/myheart.

Hearts and Minds – Cardiac support group meet on the first Wednesday of the month at Steeple View Memorial Hall,  Willowfields,  Laindon,  Basildon, Essex, SS15 4EQ. Contact committee@basildonheart.org.uk for more information.

Vitaminds - call 01268 977171 (1 to1 session either phone, face to face or computerised CBT) Covering Basildon, Wickford, Billericay and Brentwood.

Inclusion Thurrock - 1 to1 counselling session with various counsellors (Not just CBT) plus online CBT.

Mind Basildon - email infoline@basmind.org or call 01268 284130 (calls are followed up Monday to Saturday).

Thurrock and Brentwood Mind - email reception@tbmind.org.uk or call 01375 391411.

Smoking Cessation Advice - visit https://www.essexwellbeingservice.co.uk/lifestyle/stop-smoking.

Essex Wellbeing Support - a one stop shop for Wellbeing Support for Alcohol reduction, healthy eating, weight management and Physical Activity. Visit https://www.essexwellbeingservice.co.uk or call 0300 303 9988.

Mid Essex

Provide lifestyle services - for smoking cessation support, healthy eating advice, long term condition management, call 0300 303 9988 or email provide.essexlifestyles@nhs.net.

Talking Therapies (formally known as Health in mind) - call 01376 308704 or visit www.hpft-talkingtherapies.nhs.uk.

Pump up the volume — a local Essex patient support group. For more information call 01268 394082.

Southend

Everyone Health (Southend) – call 0333 0050095, email Clinical.contactcentre@nhs.net or visit www.everyonehealth.co.uk.

Provide (Castlepoint and Rochford)  – call 0300 303 9988, email provide.essexlifestyleservices@nhs.net or visit www.essexlifestyleservices.org.uk.

Stress Management and emotional wellbeing – call 01268 739128 or visit www.therapyforyou.co.uk or https://www.therapyforyou.co.uk/courses/online/cbt-living-well-with-physical-health-problems.

Smoking cessation service – call 01702 212000 (Southend) or 0300 303 9988 (Castlepoint and Rochford).

Take Heart - Support Group on the second Thursday of each month arrival 7pm for 7.15 start  at The Balmoral Community Centre Sailsbury Avenue Westcliff-on-Sea SS0 7AU  (no meeting in January). Call 01702 311796 or visit www.takeheartsouthend.org.

National support services

British Heart Foundation - www.bhf.org.uk.

BHF Heart matters magazine www.bhf.org.uk/informationsupport/heart-matters-subscribe.

Heart Help Line - 0300 330 3311.

Heart UK - www.heartuk.org.uk.

Sudden Cardiac Arrest - www.suddencardiacarrestuk.org.

Pumping marvellous — a national heart failure charity. To find out more, visit www.pumpingmarvellous.org or call 01772 796542.

RELATE – The UK’s largest provider of relationship support. Call 0300 100 1234 or visit www.relate.org.uk.

NHS Smoke free helpline - call 0300 123 1044 or visit https://www.nhs.uk/better-health/quit-smoking.

Diabetes UK – call 0345 123 2399 or visit www.diabetes.org.uk.

DVLA drivers’ medical enquiries – call 0300 790 6806 or visit www.gov.uk.