.

Cardiac (heart) services

Images showing some of the cardiology services across East Kent Hospitals

At East Kent Hospitals University NHS Foundation Trust we diagnose and treat a full range of heart disorders, including:

  • coronary artery disease

  • cardiac arrhythmias

  • cardiac failure

  • stable angina

  • heart attack

  • unstable angina

  • valvulvar heart disease

  • cardiomyopathies

  • syncope

  • black-outs.

We also insert pacemakers and implantable devices.

Procedures and tests we can offer

  • Trans-oesophageal echocardiogram - a procedure to assess the structure of the heart.

  • Cardioversion - a procedure to correct heart rhythms.

  • Angiography - used to diagnose the efficiency of the blood supply to the heart.

  • Angioplasty - a procedure to treat narrowing of the arteries surrounding the heart (currently available at William Harvey Hospital only).

Referral to our hospitals

Your GP can refer you to our heart centres and heart specialists if he or she is concerned you may have a problem with you heart.

Outpatient request for cardiac investigation

Request for echocardiogram

If you suspect you are experiencing a heart attack, please ACT. Call an ambulance - the quicker you get to hospital, the quicker we can treat you and the more effective your treatment will be.

Find out more about heart attacks and their treatment.

We have invested heavily in our heart services over recent years to bring you state-of-the-art facilities for heart procedures at the East Kent Cardiac Catheter Suite (William Harvey Hospital, Ashford) and the Heart Centre (Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother Hospital, Margate).

Outpatient heart services

Outpatient services (services that do not require a stay in hospital, e.g. a consultation with your doctor or tests) are available at:

We provide an extensive cardiac rehabilitation programme for people who have suffered heart attacks or have had any surgery on the heart.
Iain Nixon, Consultant ENT / Head and Neck / Thyroid Surgeon
Name
Nixon, Mr Iain James
Job title
Consultant ENT / Head and Neck / Thyroid Surgeon
Specialty
General ENT, Paediatric ENT, Thyroid surgery, Head and neck surgery
Special interests
Thyroid and Head and neck Cancer
Education and career history
MBChB, FRCS ORL-HNS, PhD 
 
My background is in ENT surgery, however I chose to specialize in head and neck surgery, for both benign and malignant conditions. Following standard UK higher surgical training, I completed advanced fellowship training in Guys and St Thomas' Hospital, London and then further super specialised training in one of the world's most highly regarded head and neck cancer hospitals: Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York.   
 
During this time I developed an interest in the management of thyroid disease, and completed a PhD in 2013. 
 
As well as achieving the highest possible clinical training, I have always been passionate about research.  I am current audit lead for both the East Kent ENT 
 
department and the thyroid cancer multi-disciplinary team.   
 
In contrast to most UK doctors I am very active in research both in the UK and on an international front.  I am a recognisedworld expert in the management of thyroid cancer, having written a PhD on the subject.  I regularly teach and present work on this subject at national and international meetings.  My major interest is in the conservative management of well differentiated thyroid cancer. 
 
I have spoken across the UK, Europe and North America on the subject and national and international levels, with special recognition from the Royal Society for Medicine, the British Association of Head and Neck Oncologists, the New York Head and Neck Society, the American Head and Neck Society and the American Thyroid Association.
Location
East Kent Hospitals University NHS Foundation Trust
Contact details
Pauline Skivington Tel: 01233 616680

Information about our hospitals

Please click the links below for lots of information about visiting our hospitals (including travel and parking):

*Please note that the Cardiology unit at Kent and Canterbury Hospital has moved and is now opposite Ambulatory Care. Please ask a member of staff for directions.

East Kent Cardiac Catheter Suite (William Harvey Hospital)

  • Tel: 01233 616830

The Heart Centre (Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother Hospital)

  • Tel: 01843 235042