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Bringing community cardiology services closer to home for housebound patients in Lambeth
Working in partnership with South East London Integrated Care Board, Xyla delivers community cardiology services across Lambeth through a combination of clinic-based appointments, postal services and domiciliary visits. For housebound patients who cannot easily attend appointments, the domiciliary pathway provides access to essential cardiac investigations in their own homes, helping reduce health inequalities and supporting the NHS ambition to deliver more care closer to home.
Key stats
6,465
diagnostic tests delivered between January and June 2026
100%
of patients referred for a 12-lead ECG offered an appointment within three days
100%
of patients requiring immediate clinical intervention following a 12-lead ECG reported and escalated within 15 minutes
24 hours
to return reports to the patient’s GP
50%
of patients receiving ambulatory blood pressure monitoring were diagnosed with hypertension
The challenge
In 2025, 2,972 patients across the London Borough of Lambeth were recorded as housebound. It was estimated that more than 100 cardiac tests each year could be requested for housebound patients, yet no dedicated provision existed to support them.
For many patients, travelling to a clinic or hospital appointment was difficult or impossible due to mobility challenges, complex health conditions or being confined to their home. This created a risk that important cardiac investigations could be delayed or missed altogether.
Why Xyla
Xyla has extensive experience designing and delivering community diagnostic services that increase diagnostic capacity for underserved patient groups. Working closely with NHS partners, we developed a dedicated domiciliary cardiology pathway that enabled housebound patients to receive timely cardiac investigations in their own homes, helping to reduce health inequalities and support neighbourhood-based healthcare delivery.
The solution
Working with South East London Integrated Care Board Xyla’s teams designed and delivered a dedicated domiciliary cardiology pathway for housebound patients.
Patients were referred through a central booking process and reviewed according to clinical priority. Before each appointment, the lead cardiographer completed a pre-booking questionnaire and environmental risk assessment with the patient to ensure visits could be carried out safely and effectively.
The service provided a range of diagnostic investigations in patients’ homes, including:
- 12-lead ECG
- Ambulatory ECG monitoring
- Ambulatory blood pressure monitoring
- Delivery and demonstration of home blood pressure monitors
Additional appointments were arranged when required to collect monitoring equipment.
The pathway was designed to provide rapid access to diagnostics and timely clinical action. Patients referred for a 12-lead ECG were offered an appointment within three days, while patients requiring immediate clinical intervention following a 12-lead ECG were reported and escalated within 15 minutes. All other reports were returned to the patient’s GP within 24 hours to support prompt clinical review and follow-up.
Impact
Since April 2026, 21 housebound patients received essential cardiac investigations in their own homes, eliminating the need to travel to hospital or clinic appointments. The service improved access for some of Lambeth’s most vulnerable residents while supporting local ambitions to provide more care within neighbourhood settings.
The original domiciliary pilot demonstrated the importance of providing diagnostic support to housebound patients who face significant barriers to accessing routine cardiac investigations. Within the pilot cohort of 51 housebound patients, 100% of ECG results fell outside the normal category and 50% of patients who underwent ambulatory blood pressure monitoring were diagnosed with hypertension, enabling further investigation and treatment where appropriate.
The domiciliary pathway forms part of a wider community cardiology model designed to increase diagnostic capacity across Lambeth while ensuring vulnerable patients can access timely investigations outside traditional hospital settings. Between January and June 2026, the service delivered 6,465 diagnostic tests, demonstrating how community-based diagnostic pathways can help NHS organisations manage growing demand while improving patient access.
“Launching this service has been exciting and has revealed its importance in the community. Many patients, especially those with mobility issues or who are bed-bound, found it beneficial as they struggled to attend clinical appointments. Feedback, effective communication and teamwork have been key to the project’s success.”
Magdalen Tandoh, Community Service Manager
Looking for support with community diagnostic services?
Whether you need to expand community cardiology capacity, improve access for underserved populations or bring diagnostics closer to home, we can help. Our experienced clinical teams work alongside NHS organisations to design and deliver responsive diagnostic services that improve access, support timely diagnosis and enhance the patient experience.
Contact Xyla to find out how we can support your organisation.
Nicole Fadden, Head of Clinical Operations (Cardiology)
+44 (0)207 713 2756
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