Cardiac Rehabilitation
How we can help you
We will assess your individual needs via video conference/telephone and provide you with a program involving group exercise and information sessions to help you understand, recover from and manage your heart condition. We will support you to make changes to your lifestyle to improve your health and reduce your risk of further heart problems.
Our service is for people who have a heart condition. For example heart surgery, angioplasty/stent, insertion of pacemaker/ defibrillator, arrhythmias and heart failure.
Typically people attend 12 sessions (twice per week for up to 6 weeks). Supervised exercise sessions comprise warm up/cool down walks, use of gym equipment and upper resistance training. Moderate Intensity Continuous Training and High Intensity Interval Training group sessions are available.
Lifestyle sessions cover a range of heart health topics and we assist with referral to a psychologist if people need individual stress management or help with mood adjustment and emotional wellbeing after a heart event.
You must live or work locally and be able to move around independently. You will need to be able to attend the hospital twice a week for approximately 2 hours.
The World Health Organization recommends that everyone with a heart related condition should attend cardiac rehabilitation.
The cardiac rehabilitation team includes cardiac nurses, physiotherapists and other health professionals.
We work with your local doctor (GP), your treating heart specialist/surgeon and your family. We liaise with community health who offer the Heartlink heart failure program and AIM, the community exercise classes. We also work in partnership with The National Heart Foundation.
You do not need a referral to join this program but a health professional may recommend that you join.
To make an appointment, telephone 9369 0400 and register. You can also phone our office directly on 9382 2286.
We will contact you to book you in for an assessment. Please bring a list of the current medicines you are taking and the discharge letter sent to you from the hospital and/or your cardiologist.
Depending on your preferences and needs we will book you into the structured outpatient program and confirm a commencement date for the supervised exercise session.
If you need to change or cancel your appointment please telephone the office direct on 9382 2286 M 0408 183 189 Monday - Thursday 8:00am - 4pm.
Can I chose the day and time I attend the program for my appointment?
The cardiac rehabilitation program has access to the gym for our group classes on Tuesday and Thursday mornings between 8.00am and 11.00am. For individual assessments we will try to find an appointment time that suits you. The cardiac rehabilitation Clinical Nurse Consultant is available 8.00am - 4.00pm Monday to Friday (except public holidays).
Please bring:
- The discharge letter sent to you from the hospital and any information given to you by your GP or specialist
- An up to date list of your medicines or bring all your medicines in a bag, including any herbal or over the counter medicines
- You are welcome to bring a support person (a relative, friend or carer) with you.
- You will need comfortable clothing (not skirts), supportive closed footwear, short sleeves (for having your blood pressure measured) and you will need to eat breakfast and take your usual medicines before attending each session.
We are a teaching hospital and you may be invited to participate in research or for a student to be present at your appointment. You have a right to say no. If you do so, this will not impact in any way on the services we will provide.
Please let us know if you need an interpreter. You can contact us telephoning the Translating and Interpreting Service (TIS) on 131 450. Tell the operator what language you speak and then ask the interpreter to set up a telephone conversation between you, an interpreter, and the healthcare professional you want to speak with.
Managing My Heart Health, Heart Foundation
Heart Foundation Website: https://www.heartfoundation.org.au/