Private cardiology in Leeds: heart tests and treatments at three hospitals

Spire's heart page for the Roundhay hospital describes a cardiology catheterisation suite and a high dependency unit, and a team of consultant cardiologists, consultant respiratory physicians, anaesthetists, physiologists and radiologists. The hospital describes its heart centre as one of the larger independent ones in the region; that is its own claim, and the way to judge it is to ask how many of your particular procedure are carried out locally.

The list of tests is long: electrocardiogram, exercise and stress ECG, 24 or 48 hour ECG recording, cardiac catheterisation, cardiac CT, contrast echocardiogram, transoesophageal echocardiogram, blood pressure, cholesterol and clotting tests, and lung function testing. Cardiac MRI appears in the hospital's list of on-site imaging. Named treatments are ablation of arrhythmia, cardioversion and pacemaker implantation.

The hospital is in Roundhay on Jackson Avenue; bus 13A stops outside and the 13 and 38 are within ten minutes' walk. Cardiology patients often attend twice in quick succession, once for consultation and tests and again for results, so the journey is worth considering.

On Leighton Street, Nuffield Health Leeds names a Leeds Heart Centre. Its treatments overview lists cardiac catheterisation (coronary angiogram), coronary artery bypass grafting, coronary angioplasty, cardiac rehabilitation, pacemakers and implantable cardioverter defibrillator devices. The detailed Heart Centre page was not available when this guide was prepared, so the finer points, such as which procedures are done on site, are something to confirm directly.

A city-centre location can suit follow-up visits to check a pacemaker or review medicines, because they are short and frequent. The hospital says outpatient services run to 20:00 on weekdays and to 13:00 on Saturdays, and that underground parking is free for self-paying and insured patients. One of its other pages mentions on-site critical care facilities at the hospital, though you should confirm what applies to any cardiac procedure you are considering.

The Yorkshire Clinic lists cardiology among its specialties and has X-ray, MRI, CT and ultrasound on site, along with five theatres. The page does not describe individual cardiac procedures or a catheterisation laboratory, so for anything beyond consultation and non-invasive tests it is worth asking which hospital the consultant would use for the procedure itself.

The clinic is in the grounds of Cottingley Hall and its page gives no public transport information, so if you are anxious or likely to be sedated, ask how to organise a lift or taxi.

A resting ECG records the heart's electrical rhythm for a few seconds and is usually done in the clinic. Palpitations that come and go often need longer monitoring, which is why 24 hour and 48 hour recorders, both listed by Spire Leeds, are common. An echocardiogram is an ultrasound of the heart that shows the size of the chambers, the valves and how strongly the muscle pumps; a contrast echo uses an injected agent to improve the picture, and a transoesophageal echo passes a probe down the gullet for closer images.

An exercise ECG records the heart while you walk on a treadmill and is used when chest discomfort comes on with effort. Cardiac CT can look at the coronary arteries and calcium build-up, while cardiac MRI shows heart muscle structure and scarring in detail. Invasive angiography, performed in a catheterisation suite, is reserved for people in whom a blockage is suspected and a treatment such as a stent may follow.

Cholesterol and blood pressure testing are listed alongside the cardiac tests. They matter because many heart conditions are best managed by controlling risk factors rather than by a procedure.

• Wear comfortable clothes and shoes if an exercise test is planned.

• Take a list of every medicine, including over-the-counter and herbal products.

• Ask who will review the results and whether the report goes to your GP.

Chest pain, palpitations, breathlessness, dizziness or fainting, high cholesterol and a family history of early heart disease are the usual triggers. A normal ECG at one moment does not exclude a heart rhythm problem or angina, which is why consultants often combine history, blood tests and a monitor.

Atrial fibrillation, an irregular heart rhythm that raises stroke risk, may be managed with medicines, cardioversion or ablation, the last two of which Spire Leeds names. Angina caused by narrowed coronary arteries may lead to angiography, and then to medicines, angioplasty or bypass surgery, the last two listed by Nuffield Health Leeds. Slow heart rhythms can need a pacemaker, listed by both Spire Leeds and Nuffield Health Leeds.

It is sensible to ask whether the hospital can manage a complication if one occurs. Spire Leeds mentions a high dependency unit; for any invasive procedure, ask what happens if you need a higher level of care than the ward provides.

For NHS care, your GP refers you to services commissioned by NHS West Yorkshire Integrated Care Board. Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust is the main provider and encyclopaedic sources list cardiothoracic surgery among its regional specialties, with Leeds General Infirmary on Great George Street dating back to 1767. The pages retrieved do not itemise cardiology clinics by site, so the referral letter will tell you where to go.

The NHS standard is that non-urgent consultant-led treatment should start within 18 weeks, and My Planned Care shows waiting times by hospital. Suspected heart attack, stroke or sudden severe symptoms are handled through 999 and emergency departments, which the independent hospitals described here are not substitutes for.

Private cardiology and the NHS can complement each other: some people have an echo or a monitor privately to settle a concern and then continue NHS care, or the reverse. Whichever route you use, make sure test reports travel with you.