Breathlessness Pathway

The goal for this pathway is to ensure that patients have timely access to diagnostic imaging and specialist cardiology heart failure clinics, with ongoing care delivered through an integrated approach.  Monitoring will be offered to patients near to their home, preventing unnecessary admissions to secondary care.  Further, heart failure patients at end of life stages are offered proactive palliative and end of life care at home or in a place of their choice.

The Network aims to:

• Develop joint Cardiac and Pathology Network guidance for BNP testing

• Promote efficient/appropriate referral for ECHO through the support of streamlined processes and pathways

• Gain and understand referral patterns and volumes of referrals between primary and secondary care to inform areas for improvement

• Reduce admissions/readmissions and bed days in secondary care using a multifaceted approach

• Develop end of life services for heart failure across the Network; including up skilling of heart failure specialist nurses in primary care to deliver palliative care in a place of patients’ choice

• Support the development of cardiac rehabilitation services for heart failure across the Network

• Actively promote the development of community based integrated heart failure services

• Engage patient and carers both in the design process, and in ongoing service improvement

The measurements for success will be:

• Increase in BNP tests

• Increase in number of ECHOs performed

• Reduction of admissions and bed days in secondary care

• Attendance at training courses/conferences

To find out more about our cardiac working groups click here.

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