Health Innovation Oxford and Thames Valley is working with local systems to support pathway transformation and identify opportunities for adoption of heart failure-related innovations.
The Health Innovation Network’s national Heart Failure Programme 2025-27 aims to improve outcomes for people living with heart failure by increasing their quality of life and prognosis, as well as reducing hospital admissions and re-admissions.
It is estimated that improving the management of heart failure in England could prevent 942 premature deaths by 2027.
The programme supports the government’s strategic shifts in NHS care:
- From hospital to community: utilising point-of-care testing in the community to enable earlier, timely diagnosis of heart failure before emergency admission to hospital
- From sickness to prevention: raising awareness of the signs and symptoms of heart failure, to identify people with heart failure earlier, optimise their treatment and improve their quantity and quality of life
- From analogue to digital: improving the adoption and spread of digital tools supporting the diagnosis and self-managed care of heart failure.
About heart failure
In the UK heart failure affects approximately 920,000 people, with 200,000 new cases annually. Diagnosing, treating and managing heart failure is a significant and growing challenge for the NHS with diagnosed cases predicted to nearly double by 2040. Approximately 2% of the total NHS budget is attributed to managing heart failure, and the condition accounts for more than 100,000 admissions per year.
The majority of heart failure cases are currently identified and diagnosed in emergency settings, with 80% of heart failure patients receiving their diagnosis following an emergency admission, despite 40% of patients experiencing symptoms that could have triggered an earlier assessment.
Regional initiatives
We have three workstreams under way which support improvements across the heart failure pathway. These are:
- Education for primary care teams
- Pathway mapping to identify good practice and areas for improvement.
- Supporting adoption if innovations to aid diagnosis and management of heart failure.
Case studies will be shared on this page as this work progresses.
Useful links
BEAT HF campaign from Pumping Marvellous
Heart Failure Academy (Health Innovation Yorkshire and Humber)
For more information please contact Hannah Oatley, Associate Director, Clinical Innovation Adoption Hannah.oatley@healthinnovationoxford.org