We have a service level agreement with Newcastle Hospitals Trust (NuTH) to provide an ECG (echocardiogram) service to 15 GP practices in Newcastle. The contract for this service started in 2016 and remains extant.
The service provided is the ECG test itself – which measures the electrical activity of the heart to show whether it is working normally – and the interpretation of the test.
GPs are trained to recognise normal and abnormal ECGs, and then identify whether an abnormal ECG suggests that the patient can be managed within primary care, should be referred to a specialist, or admitted to hospital.
This service means tests that previously would have needed a referral into hospital are now carried out in primary care. This speeds up diagnosis and reduces the time before any necessary treatment.
For more information on this contract, please contact us.