Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of whether planning and resourcing in primary care are sufficient to deliver earlier diagnosis and treatment of heart failure; and what steps they are taking to expand access to diagnostics, specialist support and evidence based treatment for heart failure in the community.

Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

NHS England has supported the expansion of access for diagnostics, specialist support, and evidence-based treatment for heart failure in the community.

To improve access diagnostic testing for heart failure, NHS England provided Echocardiography Revenue Funding for 2024/25 to support workforce projects, training, and to improve the quality of echocardiography services in England during 2024/25.

NHS England continues to fund the Managing Heart Failure @home service across seven sites, to support patients in managing their heart failure at home. Further funding has been provided for 17 new sites to embed personalised care, remote monitoring, and integrating heart failure pathways.

In addition, the GP Contract for 2026/27 will update heart failure Quality and Outcomes Framework indicators to reflect the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence recommended ‘four pillars’ of medication’, namely ACE inhibitors, beta-blockers, SGLT2 inhibitors, and MRAs, as first line treatment. This approach to care is cost-effective and leads to a reduction in cardiovascular-related mortality and hospital admission.