Improving clinical practice in Congenital Heart Disease (CHD) – July 2025

Fetal, paediatric and adult congenital cardiology is a rapidly developing field of medicine – with advances in healthcare 98.5% of those born with congenital heart disease can be expected to survive to adulthood.

Congenital heart disease (CHD) patients often require lifelong care, and training ensures healthcare professionals can manage their needs effectively throughout different life stages, from infancy to adulthood.

Education tailored specifically to CHD supports professionals to effectively manage, care for and support patients navigating complex comorbidities thus, empowering patients to live fulfilling lives. This is particularly important in community cardiology, and emergency departments where supporting a CHD patient can seem daunting if not your area of expertise.

We know that CHD training contributes to improved patient outcomes, including reduced morbidity and mortality, and enhanced quality of life – our Improving Clinical Practice in Congenital Heart Disease course will enable healthcare professionals to provide optimal care.

Quality assured

Our four-day programme provides a quality assured qualification and provision of a Certificate of Achievement in Improving Clinical Practice in Congenital Heart Disease (CHD).

Covering all aspects of a CHD patient’s life-long journey, from fetal diagnosis to elder years, our experts focus on informing best practice and promoting the right care at the right time.

We’ve received great feedback with previous delegates telling us they feel they have greatly benefited from gaining the knowledge and skills required to feel confident to manage the care of the patient with CHD.

Course dates

Course delivery

The course is appropriate for all healthcare professionals who may find themselves involved in the care of patients with CHD.

Inpatient, outpatient and community care providers across all professional groups are welcome, bringing with them a range of expertise from their professional practice.

To enable interested colleagues to participate in our course, we are offering two methods of delivery:

• Face to face at the Freeman Hospital for those working the North East and North Cumbria region – fee is £520
• Online via MS Teams for those working further afield – fee is £375

Learning outcomes

At the end of the course delegates will recognise and understand:

• the physiology of the normal heart and developing fetus in utero alongside the anatomy and physiology of common basic CHD lesions,
• the complexities and pathway for diagnostic fetal imaging, interventional cardiology, the expected outcomes and approach to counselling,
• normal ECG and common arrhythmias in CHD and the range of cardiac imaging approaches in the diagnosis and ongoing management including staged surgical options,
• the pathophysiology of pulmonary hypertension with associated CHD,
• the common pharmacological strategies and complex nutritional requirements throughout a CHD patient’s life.

They will also gain knowledge and understanding of:

• the process of transportation and the importance of preparation and communication,
• pre-operative and post-operative care, exploring complexities and challenges of managing the child with CHD,
• advanced, complex pathways for transplantation, extracorporeal life support and fontan surveillance,
• how to navigate ethical dilemmas and difficult and challenging conversations,
• the transition into adult services, the psychological impact on health and wellbeing for the patient and their family, and end of life care.

Course Lead

Kaye Walsh is Lead Nurse for the North East North Cumbria Congenital Heart Disease Network (NENC CHDN) with over 20 years’ experience in the field of paediatric nursing, specifically in cardiology and cardiothoracic surgery as well as over 10 years of experience in clinical education.

Audience

This course is appropriate for any healthcare professional who becomes involved in the care of patients with CHD along their lifelong journey from neonates to adult care. They may work on a ward, in outpatients, emergency departments or children’s or adult community care settings.