​Working as a Cardiology assistant at Crossrail involves working alongside the cardiologists and echo physiologists, as well as the doctors who refer into the service to ensure a smooth and efficient experience for the patients. The majority of our patients get referred from their health assessments after abnormalities have been found such as abnormal ECG’s, elevated blood pressure, murmurs, or if they display symptoms which could relate to a cardiac issue. We also get a number of external referrals from NHS GP’s or hospitals often after a patient has visited A&E.

Working alongside the health assessment doctors allows us to discuss referrals and make sure they are able to see the most appropriate cardiologist as soon as possible. It has also allowed myself and the doctors to learn more about cardiology and to get advice and reassurance when abnormalities are detected.

When a patient is first referred to Cardiology they are triaged by the Cardiac Support Team within Bupa Insurance or by our in house Member Services Adviser or by myself. Depending on their symptoms they will be split into two packages and this helps to guide which cardiologist would be best for them to see. We have two cardiologists here at Crossrail; Dr Boon Lim who specialises in Electrophysiology and Dr Sukh Nijjer who specialises in Interventional Cardiology.

As a Cardiology Assistant my first point of contact with the patient will be performing initial investigations which includes bloods, blood pressure and an ECG. Some patients will also have an echocardiogram as well depending on their symptoms. I will book their consultation with the Cardiologist and discuss the reason for their referral and pass this onto Boon and Sukh to provide them with background information prior to the consultation. If there are any significant abnormalities with ECG or with the blood results when they are received I will contact Boon or Sukh to check whether they need to be seen more urgently. In these situations we are also able to liaise with the Basinghall Centre who have a number of consultants and potentially get the patient seen sooner.

After their consultation the patient will come through to see me if there are any additional investigations required. Firstly, I will call Bupa Insurance to gain authorisation for any further tests or procedures. Often the patient is requested to wear a monitor to allow prolonged analysis of blood pressure or ECG. I will fit the monitors on the patient and explain how long to wear the monitor for, what to do and avoid doing whilst wearing the monitor and will give them a diary to complete any symptoms they feel whilst wearing the monitor. This allows us to see what their ECG or blood pressure shows during symptomatic episodes. Once the monitor is returned I will upload it onto software which generates an immediate report for blood pressure or sends the ECG recording over to the Cromwell Hospital to be reported.

Other common requests include an Exercise Stress Test, CT scan, Cardiac MRI and Tilt Table Test. These tests take place at the Bupa Cromwell Hospital and I will contact the Cardiology Department to book these for the patient. Once all results are received I will contact the customer and arrange for them to return to see the consultant to discuss the findings and if any further action is required.
Often when a patient is referred to Cardiology straight after their Health Assessment it comes as a surprise to them and I am able to help them through the process from their first visit and support them through to when they are discharged; even helping them get authorisation from insurance can be a weight off their shoulders. We have had a number of urgent referrals from Health Assessments where we have been able to get the patient seen the same day.

I have also had the opportunity to watch Boon perform two ablations at the Cromwell Hospital. One of which was performed on an individual who came in for a health assessment and after seeing his ECG we contacted Boon to get his investigations underway immediately. Luckily this patient’s procedure was a great success and it was amazing to support him from his health assessment to speaking to him at the Cromwell before his procedure to his point of discharge. 

Although the role of cardiology assistant comes with a lot of responsibility and hard work it is a very rewarding role and a great opportunity to learn!

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