Overview of the programme
Heart failure (HF) in the UK affects around 900,000 people, with this number likely to rise as our population continues to age, living longer as a result of more effective treatments, and improved survival rates after a heart attack. To the health ecosystem, HF is a huge burden, accounting for 1 million bed days per year, 2% of the NHS total, and 5% of all emergency admissions to hospitals (NICOR, 2021; Heart Failure Audit 2021 summary report).
HF mortality rates are high with around 30-40% of patients dying within a year of diagnosis, despite advances in detection and treatment. Quality of life for people with HF is also massively affected with most persistently experiencing breathlessness, fatigue and fluid retention. With input from HF specialists and lifestyle changes, many people, however, can maintain a good quality of life after diagnosis.
Diagnosis of HF relies on clinical expertise to recognise the signs and symptoms promptly and accurately, as well as having timely access to the laboratory tests and imaging procedures needed to confirm the diagnosis. Around 80% of people are diagnosed following a hospital admission, despite many of the symptoms being recognised within primary care settings.
The aim of the national HF workstream is to:
- To reduce the number of HF cases diagnosed in secondary care from 80% to 40% through improved detection and earlier diagnosis and management in a primary care/community-based setting
- To reduce avoidable re-admissions by ensuring the delivery of optimal management via an appropriate care setting
As the Health Innovation Network, our ambition is to support our delivery partners, especially Primary Care Networks (PCNs,) to implement innovations that will enable them to:
- Case-find and risk-stratify patients using risk-stratification tools
- Optimise patients on evidence-based therapies
- Improve healthcare professional and patient awareness of HF
- Enable timely diagnosis of HF
- Support patients to self-manage their condition
