Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will take steps to improve primary care for patients who have been diagnosed with heart failure.

The Quality and Outcomes Framework incentive programme for general practitioner practices in England contains indicators promoting high-quality care for patients with coronary heart disease or with a diagnosis of heart failure.

Primary Care Networks (PCNs are required as part of the services specification to improve cardiovascular disease (CVD) diagnosis and prevention. This includes supporting the earlier identification of heart failure through increasing awareness amongst PCN staff, the use of N-terminal pro B-type natriuretic peptide testing and increasing the use of CVD intelligence tools, including CVDPREVENT. The 2022/23 Impact and Investment Fund also incentivises PCNs to improve CVD prevention, such as treating patients with atrial fibrillation with Direct-Acting Oral Anticoagulants, in line with the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence’s guidelines.
In addition, the National Health Service is investing in cardiac networks to support whole pathway improvements. These networks have been developed to improve the care pathway from prevention, diagnosis, treatment to end of life care.