Stay connected with your doctor after a heart attack

Why seeing your GP after a heart attack matters?

After your heart attack or heart disease diagnosis, you will have met lots of different healthcare professionals. These may include a cardiologist, GP, pharmacist, cardiac rehabilitation healthcare professional, nurse or other allied healthcare professionals.

Think of them as your personal cheer squad, with your GP at the centre!

See your GP in the first week after a heart attack

After a heart attack, you will have received a lot of new information from different healthcare professionals. It’s completely normal to forget or not understand a lot of what you’ve been told. This is where your GP can help!

Try to have an appointment with your GP within a week of leaving hospital. They can help you make sense of what happened to you and answer any questions you might have about the tests or treatments you received. If you had surgery, they will check your wound and make sure it is healing well.

Your GP will also make sure you have enough of your heart medicines. They can explain what each medicine is for, and how and when to take it. If you don’t have a referral to attend cardiac rehabilitation, your GP can arrange this too.

Your GP can help you to live well with heart disease

In the weeks and months after your heart attack, make sure you see your GP regularly. It’s important to stay in touch so they can:

• monitor your blood pressure and cholesterol levels and make changes to your medicines as needed
• provide repeat scripts for your medicines
• coordinate your care with other healthcare professionals. They can do this as part of a chronic disease management plan. If you have a plan, some of the costs of seeing other healthcare professionals will be covered.
• support you to form heart-healthy habits, like following a heart-healthy eating pattern, doing regular physical activity and quitting smoking or vaping (if you smoke or vape)
• recommend vaccinations to reduce the risk of serious illnesses, like flu and pneumococcal disease
• provide support for any mental health concerns you might have. This might include referring you to see a mental healthcare professional, or prescribing medicines for depression or anxiety.

How can I stay in touch if I can’t get to my GP?

Many GPs offer telehealth appointments. This means they can provide medical care over the phone or via video chat. Call your doctor to ask if they are offering telehealth services.

Remember that medical emergencies still require urgent care. Get medical help straight away if the symptoms of your heart condition become severe or become worse quickly.