Who's using the Angina Plan?

Barbara Conway: The Darlington Model.

A community cardiac rehabilitation service for people with angina was launched in Darlington in October 2001. This was a programme based in a local leisure centre, run by myself (Specialist Nurse for CHD Rehabilitation) and a Physical Activity Coordinator. The programme is for patients who have angina and have been referred through the rapid access chest pain clinic or GP/Practice nurse. Prior to the introduction of the Angina Plan patients who were unable to attend the rehabilitation programme at the Leisure Complex were given very little support. From February 2002 the Angina Plan was offered to home-based rehabilitation patients. The Physical Activity Co-ordinator and I facilitated it in partnership with the patients and their carers.

In March 2002 we extended the service to patients on the group programme with great success. This enabled the Angina Plan to be used in a consistent way with all patients. The topic discussion is based around the workbook and the relaxation tape supports the techniques learnt at the programme. By July 2003 nearly 300 patients had been included in the programme. Patients report greater knowledge of their conditions, reduced levels of stress, fewer angina attacks, reduced isolation and lower cholesterol and blood pressure levels.

Twenty-one practice nurses in Darlington have completed or are working towards their Angina Plan facilitation training. They will support the current facilitators by using the Plan as a model of care for patients with angina in Darlington.

Using the Plan in an innovative way has been effective in Darlington. All patients leaving the RACPC are offered a rehabilitation service using the Angina Plan. Patients from other hospital clinics with a diagnosis of angina and clinics within general practice can all feed into the service. This work supports the practice nurse led clinics where patients with CHD are reviewed at least annually. This scheme was placed in the top three in the Department of Health national Health and Social Care Awards 2003.

Reproduced from BACR Newsletter 2004;4(3):7-9)

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