The workshop will support the relaunch of the East Midlands Heart Failure Network to ensure that CCG’s and STP’s are able to deliver the key elements of the heart failure pathway for their local populations.

Heart Failure is a long-term condition that often gets worse over time. It can’t be cured, but with treatment and lifestyle changes, many people can have a good quality of life.

There are lots of reasons why someone may develop heart failure. It can be sudden or it can happen slowly over months or even years. The most common causes are:

• A heart attack causing long-term damage to the heart, which can affect how well the heart can pump

• High blood pressure putting extra strain on the heart, which over time can lead to heart failure

• Cardiomyopathy - a disease of the heart muscle. There are different types which can either be inherited or caused by other things, such as viral infections.

Heart failure can also be caused by damaged or diseased heart valves, an abnormal heart rhythm (arrhythmia), congenital heart conditions, a viral infection affecting the heart muscle, some cancer treatments such as chemotherapy, excessive alcohol consumption, anaemia or thyroid gland disease.

This workshop aims to support the continued development of heart failure services across the East Midlands and will:

• Set out our ambition for Heart Failure services including:

o Access to cardiac rehab

o Timely direct access echo

o Delivering IV diuretics in the community

o Providing access to new drugs

o Identifying patients for device therapy

• Provide local information and data

• Share examples of service development

• Discuss how to develop a sustainable heart failure network including priorities for joint working as a network