ABSTRACT
If a GP feels that there may be a problem with a child’s heart, the appropriate referral is to the district general hospital. The role of the secondary care paediatrician is to determine, as far as is possible, whether onward referral to a tertiary cardiological centre is appropriate. It is inappropriate for all heart murmurs to be sent to a paediatric cardiology centre. Innocent murmurs are very common and require no treatment. It is, therefore, the role of the secondary care paediatrician to screen out those children who do not need tertiary care, so that those children who do require tertiary care have appropriate access to it.
