Project Name: Aneurin Bevan University Health Board In-Reach Heart Failure (HF) Specialty Registrar (SpR) - Collaborative Working Project (the “CWP”)

Project Summary:

The main objective of the CWP is to improve the quality of care delivered to Heart Failure (“HF”) patients, at the CW Partner’s Health Board, in line with the National Institute for Clinical Excellence (NICE)1, and European Society of Cardiology (ESC)2 guidance. This CWP will aim to improve the CW Partner’s current hospital-based specialist HF Service through the deployment of an “in-reach” Heart Failure (HF) speciality registrar (SpR) (the “CWP Role”) to Cardiology Directorate. Should the project prove successful, the Health Board may wish to use the data from this CWP to create a business case for future funding of this extension to the HF service by the NHS.

Planned Milestones:

  • CWP kick-off meeting.
  • Hire CWP role.
  • Collate baseline data for measuring success of project.
  • Review and measure project success at months 3, 6, 9 and 12.
  • Project report, outcomes summary, wrap up.

Expected Benefits:

For the Patient:

  • Improved access to evidence based treatment.
  • A more equitable and consistent care and access to care.
  • An enhanced experience for patients, and their carers, who live with HF.
  • Increased access to education on heart failure will enable patients to self manage their condition.
  • A personalised HF care plan will help the patient to self manage their condition.
  • % increase in Patient Reported Outcome Measures (PROMS) and Quality of life (QoL) measures.

For the CW Partner:

  • Increase the overall quality of care and improve equity of access to specialist care for patients with HF.
  • Increase proportion of patients with HF being managed in accordance with the ESC 2021 chronic heart failure guidelines.2
  • A reduction in waiting list time.

For Novartis: 

  • Further opportunities for the appropriate use of cardiology licensed medicines in line with NICE guidelines1, including Novartis’s medicine.
  • Improved reputation.
  • Improved professional and transparent relationship and Health Board between Novartis and the NHS 

Start Date & Duration: February 2024 for 17 months

References:

  1. Chronic heart failure in adults: diagnosis and management. NICE guideline [NG106] Published: 12 September 2018, available on line at Recommendations | Chronic heart failure in adults: diagnosis and management | Guidance | NICE last accessed 09 March 2026.
  2. 2021 ESC Guidelines for the diagnosis and treatment of acute and chronic heart failure ESC Clinical Practice Guidelines: 27 Aug 2021, available on line at https://www.escardio.org/Guidelines/Clinical-Practice-Guidelines/Acute-and-Chronic-Heart-Failure last accessed 09 March 2026.


FA-11473112-1 | March 2026

Project Name: Aneurin Bevan University Health Board In-Reach Heart Failure (HF) Specialty Registrar (SpR) - Collaborative Working Project

Organisation(s): Aneurin Bevan University Health Board (ABUHB), 1 Llanarth House, Newbridge Gateway, Newbridge, Newport NP11 5GH

Completion Date: November-2025

Outcome Summary: 

This CWP deployed an “in-reach” Heart Failure (HF) specialty registrar (SpR)  (the “CWP Role”) to Cardiology Directorate. The Health Board will use the data from this CWP to create a business case for future funding of this extension to the HF service by the NHS.

Key Project Outcomes Data: 

Collected at the end of 12 months of clinical activity 

  • The number of additional clinics. 11 vs. Baseline 0
  • The number of additional patients’ consultations/patients seen. 193 in clinics and 130 ambulatory (where the patient is assessed, treated, and discharged on the same day) vs. Baseline of 0
  • Number of patients who receive HF care plan 512 vs. Baseline 184
  • The number of patients receiving guideline directed medical therapy. In line with National Institute for Clinical Excellence (NICE)1, and European Society of Cardiology (ESC)2 guidance. 577 vs Baseline, however no baseline data available.
  • Patients receiving/ being prescribed prognostic medicine classes 2,059 vs Baseline, however no baseline data available.
  • Number of transfers of care forms completed. 1,160 vs. Baseline 78

Outcomes: 

The overall project has evidenced both the benefits and realisations of embedding a Heart Failure (HF) clinical fellow within the nurse-led heart failure service in areas where there is no Consultant Cardiologist cover. 

Impact 

Clinical Outcomes

  • Improved prescribing of 4 pillar therapy3 where appropriate particularly Mineralocorticoid Receptor Antagonist (MRA), where there is a greater emphasis in improving prescribing (National Institute for Cardiovascular Outcomes Research (NICOR 24/25)3.
  • Reduction in waiting time for diagnostic tests or treatment- repeat echo/ prescribing of therapies.
  • Improved transition of care and signposting – achieved through improved management plans and follow up co-ordination.
  • Improved management of acute HF care – medical management plans established.
  • Improved continuity of care between inpatients/outpatients for more complex patients that need medical input.

Educational Outcomes

  • Increase in interdisciplinary collaboration – with medical teams/Care Of The Elderly (COTE)/palliative.
  • Increased education at ward level, medic to medic through case discussions, ward rounds, grand round teaching sessions as well as in-house nurse teaching sessions that demonstrated improved confidence and competencies in given topic areas.
  • Improved confidence and competence in advanced clinical decision making for both general medics and HF nurses.

Operational Outcomes

  • Increased workload efficiency has increased Consultant Cardiology workload capacity.
  • Reduced admissions for patients with chronic Heart Failure – use of the ambulatory unit.
  • Improved quality of documentation – by medical established management plans, accuracy in staging of HF, documentation of aetiology in line with comorbidities.

Research 

  • Poster presentation at British Association for Cardiovasular Prevention and rehabilitation (BACPR) conference 2025.

Quote from Partner: 

“The support from Novartis to deliver this project has had a huge impact on the service, the project has clearly improved patient care and evidence- based therapy but it has gone beyond this. The addition of a Clinical Fellow has enhanced the heart failure nursing team as well as wider teams across the Health Board, improving both knowledge and confidence which in turn has impacted on long term service provision and innovation.” Linda Edmunds, Consultant Nurse Heart Failure and Cardiac Rehabilitation.

Conclusion: 

A business case has been submitted for future funding of the project role, post project.

References: 

  1. Chronic heart failure in adults: diagnosis and management. NICE guideline [NG106] Published: 12 September 2018, available on line at Recommendations | Chronic heart failure in adults: diagnosis and management | Guidance | NICE last accessed 09 March 2026.
  2. 2021 ESC Guidelines for the diagnosis and treatment of acute and chronic heart failure ESC Clinical Practice Guidelines: 27 Aug 2021, available on line at https://www.escardio.org/Guidelines/Clinical-Practice-Guidelines/Acute-and-Chronic-Heart-Failure last accessed 09 March 2026.
  3. National Institute for Cardiovascular Outcomes Research (NICOR 24/25): Published 2024, available online at National Heart Failure Audit 2024 report (interactive) - NICOR last accessed 10 March 2026.

FA-11617972 | March 2026