9 November 2015

Dear Colleague

Re: South West and South Wales Regional Teaching in Adult Congenital Heart Disease

Basic ACHD

Engineers’ House, Bristol

Tuesday 22nd March 2016

Most children born with congenital heart disease now survive into adulthood and the number of adult patients with CHD now exceeds the number of children. In the UK it is estimated that there are 1500 patients entering adulthood every year. In spite of this, there are very few cardiologists in the UK who are fully trained to care for these patients and many less than the number of those caring for children. It is therefore becoming increasingly common for general cardiologists to come across adult patients with congenital heart disease on their wards and in their clinics.

Although Bristol remains the regional referral centre for these patients and the centre for intervention and surgery, it will become increasingly important for cardiologists and trainees working in other hospitals throughout the South West and South Wales to have a working knowledge of the common lesions encountered and their management. Indeed, a shared model of care is already in place in several hospitals across the region, where a local cardiologist has developed an interest in this field and manages simple and moderately complex lesions with the support of the Bristol team. This not only improves emergency care for the patients, but allows them to have much of their out-patient care delivered closer to home.

The aim of this training programme is to offer education to all cardiologists and trainees in the region so that they might be more confident in caring for these patients. It is hoped that junior SpRs and STs will attend these days and that they might encourage some to pursue this subspecialty of cardiology; trained ACHD cardiologists are desperately needed. Any cardiology trainee pursuing a career in imaging will also need to be able to echo these patients effectively and indeed some knowledge and training in ACHD is mandatory for completion of specialist training.

Study days occur twice a year in September and March from approximately 9:30am to 4:45pm. Each day focusses around practical management of the conditions. The talks are given by doctors working in the area of adult congenital cardiology and there is discussion and problem-solving, particularly around real life cases. Delegates are encouraged to bring cases to discuss, either for presentation or informal discussion. No question or case will be deemed too simple to be asked or discussed!

For our next day we have collaborated up with the ACHD team from University Hospitals Birmingham to provide supra-regional teaching and welcome doctors from this Network to register for the training.

Prior to each day, information and questions for consideration will be sent to delegates to enable them to get the most out of the day. A learning syllabus will be available to take away. The curriculum is designed so that, over a period of 2 years, most areas of ACHD will be covered.

The study days were initially supported by the AGW Network and then by Actelion and Bristol-Myers-Squibb. There will be no charge for attendance, though we will have to charge £50 to those who have registered but do not attend without 48 hours’ notice of cancellation. It is hoped that the short day will make it easier for delegates coming from the more distant parts of the region to attend and the days of the training are on different days of the week to allow as many cardiologists in the region as possible to attend over time. The first day of this fourth cycle is scheduled for Tuesday 22nd March 2016.

I would be grateful if you could complete the reply slip at the end of this letter to indicate whether or not you are able to attend. Many thanks in advance for your interest in learning more about this most interesting and challenging group of patients.

Warmest wishes,

Yours sincerely,

Dr Stephanie Curtis BSc(Hons) MBChB MD FRCP

Please could you complete the enclosed reply as soon as possible and return it to: Edith Taylor, ACHD Secretary, Level 7, Bristol Heart Institute, Marlborough Street, Bristol, BS2 8HW.

South West and South Wales Regional Teaching in Adult Congenital Heart Disease

Specialist ACHD

Engineers’ House, Bristol

Tuesday 22nd March 2016

I am able to attend the above meeting:

I am unable to attend the above meeting:

Name:

Job Title:

Hospital Address:

Telephone No: Mobile No:

E-mail:

Do you have any special dietary requirements: