Project name: Service improvement for the detection and treatment of Heart Failure in secondary Care.
Joint Working Project Summary:
This Joint Working Project (JWP) will involve the introduction of a hospital-based specialist heart failure (HF) service for patients admitted for the treatment of HF. The service will include the identification and triaging of patients (both at acute medical receiving units and when already admitted via General Medicine/other non-Cardiology departments) so they can be appropriately referred to the relevant Cardiology service and receive specialist HF input, and subsequently coordinating with primary care health services to ensure continuous appropriate care for HF patients after their discharge from hospital.
The JWP will focus on timely diagnosis, early initiation of HF treatment, rapid access to specialist care and planning for early supported discharge, post-discharge monitoring and early follow-up.
Expected Patient Outcomes for this Project:
The following measures will be evaluated by the Trust:
- Development of an in-patient strategy/protocol and implementation procedures of the same to govern the clinical operations of the Service
- Positive increase against the following baseline percentage (%) measures as stated in the most up to date National Institute for Cardiovascular Outcomes Research HF audit (whether published or not) for Southend University Hospital:
- Input from Consultant Cardiologist
- Joint Working Executive Summary
- Input from specialist
- ACEI on discharge
- ACEI/ARB on discharge
- Beta blocker on discharge
- MRA on discharge
3. Patient satisfaction linked to the HF Service (PREMS)
Start Date and Duration: 30/06/2019, 34 Months