Hartlepool’s cardiac rehabilitation service has earned the highest national quality rating for the second year running, while patients say its eight-week programme is helping them return to work, family life and regular exercise after serious heart .
The team at North Tees and Hartlepool NHS Foundation Trust has again received green certification from the British for Cardiovascular and Rehabilitation and the National Audit of Cardiac Rehabilitation. Green status means a programme meets all seven national key performance , covering the make-up of its team, the patients it accepts, programme length, waiting times and completion of assessments.
Recovery close to home
In Hartlepool, sessions take place at the Highlight Active Hub. The NHS service says patients attend twice a week for a mixture of cardiovascular and strength exercises adapted to their health and ability. The programme also includes advice on healthy eating, and mindfulness, along with basic life support education.
Chris Dodds, 63, was referred after heart valve repair surgery at The James Cook University Hospital in Middlesbrough. The Hartlepool landscape business owner had first noticed unusual breathlessness while walking uphill on holiday. After completing the rehabilitation programme, has been able to take on heavier work again and has joined a gym to continue exercising twice a week.
Others are working towards their own practical goals. Mike Ritchie hopes to complete a 5km run by Christmas after having stents fitted. Rob Snowdon, 67, is returning to simple jobs on his allotment and spending time with his grandchildren after a triple heart bypass. Doris Dixon, 79, said meeting people with similar health problems helped challenge the feeling that she was facing recovery alone.
What the green rating measures
The national certification scheme is a joint programme run by BACPR and the National Audit of Cardiac Rehabilitation. Its published standards require a multidisciplinary team involving at least three health professions, access for key patient groups and a programme lasting at least the national of 56 days. Other measures cover how quickly people begin rehabilitation after bypass surgery, a heart attack or a stent procedure, and whether assessments are recorded at the beginning and end.
The national register currently lists North Tees and Hartlepool NHS Foundation Trust’s Hartlepool programme among certified services. The local team says it is one of only two trusts in its region to achieve green status in two consecutive years. The register confirms the service is certified, although the regional comparison comes from the trust’s own announcement.
A team effort
Janine O’Rourke, the trust’s cardiac rehabilitation specialist nurse lead, said the certification followed extensive work across the service, including the collection and submission of performance data. She credited retired colleague Tracey Sharp with driving the project. O’Rourke was also named president-elect of BACPR in the week before the announcement.
The service is not limited to one building. The trust says rehabilitation sessions run at community venues across Tees Valley, with a team embedded in the programme. Its cardiology information describes rehabilitation as a four-stage process beginning in hospital, continuing after discharge and moving through structured exercise into long-term maintenance.
What happens next
For patients, the award is useful because it tests the service against consistent national measures rather than relying only on individual experiences. The next challenge is to keep those standards in place: certification is reviewed annually, and programmes must continue submitting audit data to their status.
People receiving heart treatment should discuss rehabilitation with their clinical team. The trust’s cardiology service says patients admitted with coronary heart disease should be seen by a specialist nurse and referred to community cardiac rehabilitation for continuing support.