Grown-up congenital heart disease (GUCH)

We provide seamless care between childhood and adulthood for those born with heart disease. This is via a well-established transition program with Great Ormond St Hospital.

We provide all aspects of care for adults with congenital heart disease, and our service has been given level one specialist centre designation by NHS England to continue providing surgical and catheter intervention treatments.

Sub-speciality services

  • Catheter diagnosis and treatment – “keyhole valve procedures”
  • Heart failure service with heart transplant links
  • Heart rhythm services, including ablation treatments and device implants such as pacemakers
  • Heart surgery
  • Inherited aortopathy service with monitoring and surgery
  • Pulmonary hypertension service and advanced drug therapy
  • Pregnancy and pre-conception service at University College London Hospitals and The Royal London Hospital
  • Specialist advanced imaging – MRI
  • Outreach outpatients at Basildon Cardiothoracic Centre, Penbury Hospital Tunbridge Wells, University College London Hospital, Luton and Dunstable University Hospital.

Your visit

Our outpatient clinic is based in Clinic 5, 2nd floor, KGV building, St Bartholomew's Hospital

If you are a new patient to the service, you will usually be seen in person by your named consultant or by a clinical fellow in training, who will discuss any management plan with your consultant.

For follow-up reviews, your consultant will decide if this needs to be in person or whether you can have your tests and then have a follow-up telephone consult. 

The most commonly needed tests are an echo, electrocardiogram or exercise test which are all undertaken at the Barts Heart Centre located at St Bartholomew's Hospital.

Sometimes you might need a cardiac MRI scan and this is undertaken at Great Ormond Street Hospital where the congenital imaging experts are based.

In some instances the tests can be arranged on the same day of your outpatient review but you may need to attend on more than one occasion if you need multiple tests.

Inpatient stays

If you require admission, you will reviewed and admitted under the on-call congenital cardiology consultant and you will be seen daily by the team.

Contact us

In hours (Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm)

For general heart health queries call the clinical nurse specialist team on 020 3765 8608. 

The GUCH clinical nurse specialists (CNS) are your first point of contact for health queries. You will meet a CNS team when you come to your first appointment.

If you have any questions about living with your heart condition or about any symptoms, please do not hesitate call the clinical nurse specialist (CNS) team.

Your call may be directed to an answerphone but please leave a message with your name, phone number and hospital or NHS number and we will call you back.

For general GUCH appointment queries

  • 0207 480 4844

Echo, ex test, or Holters appointments

  • 02037658761 or 020 3765 4173

Cardiac MRI appointments

  • 02078297891

Urgent contact for healthcare professionals and/or patients admitted to hospital

Out of hours: emergencies only (after 5pm on weekdays and all day Saturday and Sunday)

  • Call the switchboard on 020 3416 5000
  • Ask for general cardiology specialist registrar on-call
  • Explain the problem, provide call back contact information, and give your NHS number
  • The cardiology registrar will contact the GUCH consultant on-call and you will be called back within 60 minutes.