Over 30,000 people have heart surgery in the UK every year. Heart surgery is safe, but around 1 in 5 people having heart surgery will be readmitted to hospital in the year after their operation. There is no research that explains why they come back into hospital. It may be because they have a complication from the heart surgery, such as an irregular heart rhythm. Or it may be because they have other health problems which the heart surgery has made worse. Researchers want to find out what care is provided to people after heart surgery and what participants and healthcare staff think should be offered to prevent people coming back to hospital. The overall aim of this Programme Development Grant is to undertake preparatory work that will allow researchers to identify the best approach to improve care after hospital discharge for people having heart surgery.

Inclusion Criteria:

• Patients who have had elective or urgent cardiac surgery such as coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery, heart valve surgery, aortic surgery (thoracic aorta) within the last 12 months
• Family members/carers of patients who have had cardiac surgery in the last 12 months.
• Patients who are no longer undergoing inpatient or outpatient follow-up by their cardiac surgeon

Exclusion Criteria:

• Patients who have had cardiac transplantation
• Patients who are still undergoing follow-up by their cardiac surgery team
• People who are unable to provide informed consent
• Prisoners

Any eligible participant/family/carer being seen as an outpatient at the study sites