Liverpool Heart and Chest Hospital and Charity

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Liverpool Heart and Chest Hospital is an 'Outstanding' rated specialist Trust and one of the leading specialist heart and chest centres in the country.
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Liverpool Heart and Chest Hospital is a twice 'outstanding' rated trust and one of the largest specialist heart and chest hospitals in the UK, providing specialist services in cardiothoracic surgery, cardiology and respiratory medicine.

16/10/2026

Nominations are open for our staff awards People’s Choice category!🏆

Is there a team or individual who has provided outstanding care to you or a loved one?

Don’t waste any time, nominate them for a People’s Choice Award at one of University Hospital of Liverpool Group’s Pride in Our People staff award ceremonies by visiting the news section of our website.

Help us celebrate the great people who work at Liverpool Heart and Chest Hospital. 🏥🤩

Nominations close midnight, Sunday 8 November 2026 ⏳

14/10/2026

This AHP Day, we had the pleasure of celebrating the fantastic Allied Health Professionals (AHPs) and Support Workers that work across our hospital site.

Our teams of AHPs include operating department practitioners, dietitians, occupational therapists, physiotherapists, speech and language therapists and radiographers.

Staff were treated to some ‘me time’ with afternoon tea, music from the Ukellas and health checks.

A big thank you to all our teams that play a key role in delivering outstanding patient care every day.

13/10/2026

LHCH first - LHCH was delighted to introduce EnCompass a new surgical treatment of atrial fibrillation during Aortic Valve surgery. 🥇

The procedure, performed by Professor Mohamed Zeinah, LHCH Consultant Cardiac Surgeon, marks the latest development in our surgical treatment options for atrial fibrillation.

You can read the full story on the news section of our website.

30/09/2026

Earlier today, we were pleased to present our latest Employee of the Month Award to Emma, Staff Nurse on Birch Ward 👏.

Emma was nominated by a patient for being an 'outstanding employee and an exceptional nurse'. Her nomination said:

"Emma has been incredibly compassionate, attentive and supportive towards both me and my partner during what has been a very difficult and anxious time. I was feeling anxious and overwhelmed at times not knowing what was happening.

"Emma took the time to sit with us, listen to our concerns and explain things clearly. When she did not have an answer herself, she made sure to seek out the doctor so that I could get the information and reassurance I needed.

"What particularly stood out to me was that Emma did not simply check on us once and move on. She remembered how anxious we were throughout the day and repeatedly came back to check on us and make sure we were okay. That level of care and thoughtfulness made a huge difference to us."

Well done Emma on this well deserved recognition ❤

28/09/2026

A long-serving switchboard supervisor at Liverpool Heart and Chest Hospital (LHCH) is sharing her own poignant story ahead of World Heart Day tomorrow (29 September), after switching roles from coordinating care to receiving it when colleagues fought to save her life following a heart attack at work one year ago.

What started as a normal working day for Pat Ward, 70 years, from Knotty Ash, quickly became a life-threatening emergency.

Pat, who has dedicated almost five decades of service to LHCH in various roles, from hygiene assistant to her current position leading the switchboard, was travelling the short distance from home to work by taxi, when she began to feel unwell.

The first sign was pain in her jaw, but the symptoms rapidly worsened.

Pat recalled: “I arrived on switchboard and told my colleague Debbie that I felt unwell. By now I had jaw and chest pain which had gradually worsened, and it started to feel like my chest was caving in.

“I remember saying to Debbie, ‘I think I’m having a heart attack’, and the rest doesn’t feel real now. It was like a bad dream.”

In a remarkable turn of events, the switchboard team responsible for coordinating emergency responses across the hospital suddenly found themselves at the centre of one.

Recognising the seriousness of Pat's condition, her close friend and colleague Debbie immediately issued a Medical Emergency Team (MET) call, triggering an urgent response from specialists across the hospital.

Among the first clinicians to arrive was Elcy Varughese, Advanced Nurse Practitioner in Cardiology.

Elcy said: “I knew when I saw Pat that she was having a myocardial infarction (heart attack) and we took her straight to the Cath Lab where she was met by the specialist team.

“The medical team assessed Pat and within minutes they were performing an emergency primary percutaneous coronary intervention procedure (PPCI).”

A PPCI is the gold-standard emergency treatment for the most serious type of heart attack where a coronary artery is completely blocked. It rapidly unblocks a coronary artery to restore blood flow and to minimise heart muscle damage. This has been shown to significantly improve survival rates, as well as to reduce complications.

Thanks to the swift actions of the emergency team, including Dr Jonathan Hasleton, Consultant Cardiologist and Dr Hasan Ahmad, Specialist Registrar, Pat’s procedure was a success, and she has made a full recovery.

Read the full story on the news section of our website (link in bio).

24/09/2026

Introducing our first LHCH Team of the Month – Maple Suite 👏

Maple Suite were nominated for their exceptional teamwork, commitment and dedication to our patients and their families. The team have worked incredibly hard to support specialist palliative care provision and offer consistently high standards of care.

The team’s nomination said:

“The Maple Suite team have created a welcoming compassionate, supportive environment, where patients feel safe, cared for, listened to and have a voice.

“Staff consistently demonstrate compassion, professionalism, and a strong commitment to each other when caring for patients and families during some of the most difficult, and emotional times of their lives. The team consistently goes above and beyond to provide high-quality care and demonstrate individualised patient-centred care, dignity, and compassion. They take the time to understand what matters to each patient and make every effort to fulfil their wishes.

“What makes us a special team, is that we don't just provide clinical care, we provide holistic care and inclusiveness - we don't just see an illness we see a person, understand their wishes and do our best to make their time with us the best it can possibly be.”

Congratulations Maple Suite team ❤

18/09/2026

Ahead of Aortic Dissection Awareness Day tomorrow (19 September) we want to share Martin’s story. ❤

It’s been 10 years since primary schoolteacher, Martin, 50, from Nottingham, had life-saving aortic surgery at Liverpool Heart and Chest Hospital (LHCH).

Martin considers himself a ‘lucky man’ that following investigations for a very high heart rate, doctors found a large aortic aneurysm ready to dissect and a congenital heart condition called bicuspid valve.

Aortic dissection is the most common aortic emergency with 70 people per week suffering from the condition in the UK and Ireland. Over 2,000 patients lose their lives to aortic dissection each year in the UK and Ireland.

Martin said it was sport that led to the discovery of his life-threatening diagnosis.
“I had been a high-level rower for a decade or so, but then I decided to switch sports and took up cycling. I was racing my time trial bike, and my heart rate soared +220 bpm and I just knew something was wrong.

“I went to see a cardiologist and fortunately the discovery was made. LHCH was recommended to me and within weeks a date for surgery was scheduled.

“The thought of potentially leaving my wife, Cat and my then 7-year-old daughter, Anja, behind was very difficult to come to terms with initially.”

However, thanks to Miss Harrington, Consultant Aortic Surgeon (pictured top right) at LHCH, the leading centre for aortic surgery in the North of the UK, Martin’s surgery went well. He said:

“I remember meeting Miss Harrington for the first time, and she put me at ease from the outset.

“I met my anaesthetist the night before my operation and he told me to sleep well because he certainly would – he wasn’t worried about me at all. It was very reassuring.

“After the operation I was only on the ward for six days. I received thoughtful and kind care from all the staff.”

“I honestly can’t recommend Liverpool Heart and Chest Hospital highly enough.

“I have such a warm feeling as I drive into Liverpool knowing I'm going back. It’s a place full of caring people who repaired me, looked after me and gave me the last 10 years (and counting) of wonderful experiences and memories.”

Martin is pictured creating special memories with family. Read the full story on our website (link in bio).

15/09/2026

Experts at LHCH are part of a national heart surgery trial involving more than 30 centres across the UK.

The AFFECT trial is designed to identify the safest and most effective blood-thinning treatment to use after heart valve surgery for patients who also have a heart rhythm problem.

Each year, thousands of people in the UK have surgery for mitral regurgitation where the mitral valve fails to close tightly, allowing blood to leak backward into the left atrium instead of pumping forward to the body. This forces the heart to work harder, which can lead to fatigue, shortness of breath, and potential heart failure.

If patients also have a heart rhythm issue, such as the heart beating too fast or too slow, they usually need blood-thinning medication to reduce their risk of having a stroke or other complications after surgery.

Current guidelines recommend using a vitamin K antagonist (VKA), such as warfarin, which help to prevent harmful blood clots.

Now, a newer group of medicines, known as direct oral anticoagulants (DOACs) are widely used. While both treatments are effective, researchers do not know which option offers the best long-term outcomes for patients.

The AFFECT study aims to recruit 1,282 adults who are having mitral valve repair surgery and will be randomly allocated to receive either a DOAC or a vitamin K antagonist.

Treatment will start before patients leave hospital and they will then be closely monitored for at least 12 months, with further annual check-ups for up to four years.

Researchers will assess a range of outcomes, including stroke prevention, quality of life and cost-effectiveness.

Eligible patients will be invited to take part by their clinical teams. More than 130 patients have already signed up and started treatment.

AFFECT is led by the Middlesbrough hospital’s Academic Cardiovascular Unit (ACU) and has received funding from the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR).

Mr Gopal Soppa Consultant Cardiac Surgeon at LHCH, and principal investigator, said: “We’re pleased to offer our patients at LHCH the opportunity to join the AFFECT trial.

“We hope the trial provides much-needed evidence in this area and helps to guide the most appropriate treatment options for patients in the future.”
The trial is supported by the cardiovascular research team at LHCH.

For full details visit the LHCH website, news section.

11/09/2026

🔉sound on
Such a lovely way to finish Intensive Care Week 2026 at LHCH, with a lovely clip of one of our patients.

Within 24 hours of her surgery and being on a ventilator, Liz was sitting up and singing along to ‘Rockin’ all over the world’ with the brilliant band who provided some background cheer for patients, families and staff, and helped us marked the week.

Liz’s family said: “Thank you so much for looking after our Mum. We can never thank you enough. All your staff are amazing.”

Best wishes Liz and keep on singing, from everyone at LHCH 💙

Intensive Care Society

07/09/2026

This Intensive Care Week (7-13 September 2026), we would like to share with you Kelvin’s story.

What first felt like an ordinary day for Kelvin quickly became his worst nightmare. Kelvin, a loving Dad and husband from Rhyl, North Wales, was getting ready for work when he suddenly felt a severe pain in his chest. He said:

“The pain gradually got worse and my wife, Jodie, called for an ambulance because I was very distressed. The paramedic arrived and told my wife my blood pressure was very low. I was dipping in and out of consciousness.

“Then, I was rushed me to my local hospital where my family were told there was a 40% chance I would survive. I needed urgent specialist surgery and was transferred by ambulance to Liverpool Heart and Chest Hospital.

“My wife and family were told to prepare for the worst because my aorta had split all the way from the top, where the bend is, and most of the way down. I needed emergency aortic surgery, which was expected to be 10 hours long, but ended up lasting about 15 hours.”

After his surgery, completed by LHCH Consultant Aortic Surgeon, Mr Jakub Marczak and clinical team, Kelvin was brought to the Intensive Care Unit within the Critical Care Unit, to continue his recovery. He said:

“Whilst I was on Intensive Care Unit for 20 days, I was put in an induced coma. My wife and my Dad had such amazing support and the team kept Jodie updated all the time, whatever was happening to me. They were great at keeping in touch.

“The whole team in Intensive Care were amazing and are such heroes of mine!

“I also can’t thank my surgeon, Mr Marczak enough for saving my life and all the team involved in my care.

“It was wonderful to visit the Critical Care Team who looked after me so well and to be able to shake Mr Marczak’s hand to personally thank him (pictured). It made my day!

“The day I came home from hospital, I heard my little lad say ‘that’s my daddy coming home’ which broke my heart.

“I feel fine now. I am back home now with my family and chance to see my wife and kids again. I’m so grateful to all the team at LHCH for making this possible.”

Address

Thomas Drive
Liverpool
L143PE

Telephone

+441516001616

Website

https://www.lhchcharity.org.uk/, http://www.lhch.nhs.uk/

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