In a significant development for heart failure patients in North Norfolk, Cromer Hospital has inaugurated a new nurse-led clinic this week, thanks to £107,000 funding from the Hospitals Charity for the next 23 months.
This initiative aims to provide crucial medical services closer to the homes of patients, easing their access to care and improving overall health outcomes.
Led by Lucie Legg, Heart Failure Lead Nurse Specialist, the clinic will offer comprehensive assessments, medication reviews, and prescriptions. Additionally, patients will receive iron infusions, helping to alleviate the burden on Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital (NNUH) and allowing the introduction of an extra clinic to meet growing demand.
Commenting on the new clinic, Legg said:
“It’s an exciting opportunity to support patients and community nurses in North Norfolk area.
“I’m grateful to the Charity for funding this clinic and to Cromer Hospital for accommodating the expansion of service – we’re working towards reducing the number of patients who require a hospital admission.”
The expansion of heart failure services comes at a critical time, as the number of patients continues to rise. With one in seven people over the age of 70 diagnosed with heart failure, and a high proportion of older residents in Norfolk, the need for specialised care has never been greater.
Consultant Cardiologist Kristian Skinner added:
“We’re incredibly grateful to the N&N Hospitals Charity for supporting this clinic.
“It’s a busy time for our service. We’ve currently got two of our nurses going through their prescriber training. Once qualified, they will be able to run more nurse-led services to optimise patients’ medication. These developments will benefit patients and the Trust overall, because the quicker you can get patients on the right medication, the less chance they have of being admitted, which is better for everyone.”
This nurse-led clinic at Cromer Hospital represents a significant step forward in providing localised, high-quality healthcare. By reducing the need for patients to travel long distances for treatment, the clinic is set to improve the quality of life for many heart failure patients in the region.
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