Why Primary Care Holds the Key to Heart Failure | Heart Failure Unfiltered

Why Primary Care Holds the Key to Heart Failure | Heart Failure Unfiltered

Heart failure affects over a million people in the UK - yet most patients have never once thought to ask: "Could I have heart failure?" In this episode of Heart Failure Unfiltered, recorded live at Liverpool Podcast Studios, we dig deep into why primary care is the most powerful - and currently underleveraged - tool in the fight against heart failure. Hosted by Nick Hartshorne-Evans, Founder & CEO of the Pumping Marvellous Foundation, this episode features an honest, unfiltered conversation with: Dr. Sue Kemsley: GP, GPSI in Cardiology, Clinical Lead for Health Innovation Northwest Coast & the Northwest Coast Cardiac Network Katie: Diagnosed with dilated cardiomyopathy at 25, now a patient educator with Pumping Marvellous Gavin: Living with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy from birth, progressed to advanced heart failure, and now two years post-transplant Together, they unpack the systemic gaps in detection and management, share powerful patient stories, and explore what it takes to genuinely transform primary care's role in heart failure outcomes. Heart Failure Unfiltered is a podcast series by the Pumping Marvellous Foundation. This is Episode 2 of 4 of the BEAT Masterclass. Subscribe so you don't miss the rest of the series. Chapters: 00:00 - What is this podcast series about? 00:20 - Why primary care holds the key to heart failure 01:40 - About Pumping Marvellous Foundation 02:36 - Introducing the guests: Katie, Dr. Sue Kemsley & Gavin 04:30 - Why breathlessness gets normalised & misdiagnosed 06:46 - Why primary care sits at the centre of diagnosis & management 08:30 - The Dr. Google problem & delayed GP access 14:10 - Has anyone ever asked "Do I have heart failure?" 15:30 - Shock of diagnosis: patients leaving hospital not knowing they had it 17:30 - Did the masterclasses build clinical confidence? 19:25 - Myth buster: breathlessness is NOT just ageing 19:45 - Clinical curiosity — is it taught or innate? 22:00 - How to do a thorough long-term condition review 24:30 - What does a good heart failure review actually look like? 31:22 - From hospital to home: navigating the handover gap 35:30 - Heart failure care plans — what should happen vs. reality 38:00 - What gave clinicians at the masterclass a new perspective? 42:00 - Student nurses inspired to move into cardiology 46:00 - What gives Dr. Sue Kemsley hope for the future? 48:30 - Generalist specialists & heart failure champions in every locality 53:00 - Patient educators: knowing what you know changes everything 56:10 - The tipping point: when will patients start asking about heart failure? 59:00 - How a hospital in Kilmarnock was plastered in heart failure awareness 01:01:00 - Closing reflections & what comes next About the Pumping Marvellous Foundation The Pumping Marvellous Foundation is the UK's heart failure patient charity — designed by patients, for patients. From clear, accessible information to peer-to-peer support and patient education programmes, they're on a mission to make sure no one faces heart failure alone. 👉 Visit: pumpingmarvellous.org 💛 Support us: Just £5 a month can help reach the next patient who needs us. HeartFailure #PrimaryCare #HeartFailureAwareness #PumpingMarvellous #HeartHealth #GPEducation #CardiacCare #NTproBNP #HeartFailureUnfiltered #PatientEducation #ChronicIllness #Cardiology #MarvellosMasterclass #HealthcareEducation #HeartFailureDiagnosis #UKHealth #PatientAdvocacy #SelfManagement #LongTermConditions #HeartFailureSupport

Why Being First Across the Line to Detect Heart Failure Matters | Heart Failure Unfiltered

Heart failure affects over 900,000 people in the UK, yet it remains one of the most underdiagnosed conditions in primary care. Too many patients are only identified after a hospital admission - often following months or years of missed opportunities. This episode asks a simple but urgent question: why aren't we catching it sooner? In this episode of Heart Failure Unfiltered, Nick Hartshorne-Evans, founder and CEO of the Pumping Marvellous Foundation - the UK's leading heart failure patient charity - sits down with three experts at the heart of a groundbreaking education initiative. Together, they explore what happened when the Pumping Marvellous Foundation partnered with Health Innovation Northwest Coast to deliver the Marvellous Masterclass - a series of education events designed to upskill over 170 non-specialist clinicians in heart failure awareness, detection, and management. You'll learn: - Why heart failure is so frequently missed in primary care - and the clinical, historical, and systemic reasons behind it - How the BEAT acronym (Breathlessness, Exhaustion, Ankle swelling, Time for an NT-proBNP) gives clinicians a simple, actionable framework for recognising symptoms - Why NT-proBNP should be the first-line diagnostic step - and why confusion around diagnostic pathways has led to widespread inconsistency - What the Marvellous Masterclass events revealed about baseline knowledge levels among non-specialist clinicians — and why that finding matters - How bringing patient educators into a clinical education setting transformed engagement and recall - What a delayed diagnosis looks like from a patient's perspective — in this case, a respiratory arrest, three months in hospital, and a life that had to be rebuilt from the ground up Meet the guests: 🎙 Katie: diagnosed with cardiomyopathy and heart failure at 25, Katie became a Pumping Marvellous patient educator and shares her experience of years of missed diagnoses before reaching crisis point. 🎙 Dr. Sue Kemsley: a GP with 30 years of experience, a GPSI in cardiology, and clinical lead roles at Health Innovation Northwest Coast and the Northwest Coast Cardiac Network. Sue brings essential perspective on how heart failure education has evolved — and where the gaps still exist. 🎙 Sarah Coburn: senior programme manager at Health Innovation Northwest Coast, leading a two-year heart failure programme. Sarah breaks down what the masterclass data revealed and why embedding learning into clinical practice is essential. Key takeaways for clinicians: Heart failure is treatable — but only if it's found. The evidence is clear: patients with undiagnosed heart failure are circulating through healthcare systems, often with multiple conditions, seeing various professionals, without anyone connecting the dots. This episode makes the case that upskilling the wider workforce — not just specialists — is one of the most impactful interventions we can make. A curious, open mind, a willingness to challenge your initial hypothesis, and knowledge of a few simple tools could be the difference between a patient being diagnosed early or arriving at A&E in crisis. This is Episode 1 of a four-part series. Future episodes will continue to explore the question that runs through every conversation: beat the diagnosis. 🫀 Support patients living with heart failure: pumpingmarvellous.org 📩 Find out more about the Marvellous Masterclass and upcoming events at pumpingmarvellous.org HeartFailure #HeartFailureAwareness #PumpingMarvellous #PrimaryCare #CardiovascularHealth #EarlyDiagnosis #NHSEducation #HeartHealth #GPTraining #PatientVoice #HeartFailureUnfiltered #MarvellousМастерclass #ChronicIllness #CardiacHealth #HealthInnovation #MedicalEducation #HeartFailureDiagnosis #BeatTheSymptoms #NTproBNP #HeartFailureUK

Heart Failure Unfiltered | “You Look So Well”.. But He's Not!

Heart failure doesn't look the way people think. And that's exactly the problem. In this raw, deeply honest episode of Heart Failure Unfiltered, Nick Hartshorne-Evans sits down with Gavin and Julie Redhead — a heart failure patient and his registered carer - for part two of their conversation. What follows is one of the most human, unguarded accounts of what it truly means to live with heart failure, not just survive a diagnosis. Gavin was diagnosed years before most people would expect to face this. Julie became his carer long before either of them were ready. Together, they pull back the curtain on what no one sees: the days you can't get out of bed, the social events you have to cancel at the last minute, the household jobs that quietly shift hands, the grief that never gets named, and the words that cut deepest - "But you look so well." This isn't a clinical overview. This is the truth from both sides of the kitchen table. In this episode: 00:00 - When heart failure enters your life 02:11 - The invisible illness nobody sees 03:26 - The 9-volt battery: understanding heart failure fatigue 07:00 - "But you look so well" — the words that sting 08:17 - When household roles are forced to change 14:16 - The blue badge moment & fighting your corner 15:56 - Losing control: the hardest thing about a diagnosis 19:14 - Turning diagnosis into purpose 19:14 - The grieving process carers don't talk about 28:15 - The shocking gender gap in heart failure engagement 32:40 - From can't breathe to walking a marathon 34:02 - The most important thing Gavin would say to another patient 35:17 - Closing Message Resources: 🌐 Pumping Marvellous Foundation: www.pumpingmarvellous.org 💬 Peer support community: Search "Help for Hearts" on Facebook 💷 Support someone with heart failure today: donate@pumpingmarvellous.org — £10 makes a difference Heart Failure Unfiltered is produced by the Pumping Marvellous Foundation — the UK's heart failure charity. Our mission is to make sure no one faces heart failure alone. #HeartFailure #HeartFailureAwareness #HeartFailureUnfiltered #PumpingMarvellous #InvisibleIllness #ChronicIllness #CarerSupport #HeartHealth #MensHealth #ChronicFatigue #HeartFailureLife #CarersUK #PatientStories #HeartDisease #LivingWithHeartFailure #MentalHealthMatters #InvisibleDisability #ChronicIllnessCommunity #HeartFailureCarer #YouLookSoWell

Heart Failure Unfiltered | One Couple's Raw Truth About a Heart Failure Diagnosis

What really happens the moment you're told you have heart failure? Not the clinical version - the real one. In this powerful episode of Heart Failure Unfiltered, Nick sits down with Gavin and Julie - a couple navigating life since Gavin's severe heart failure diagnosis in 2019. Gavin is a patient educator with the Pumping Marvellous Foundation and a long-term heart condition survivor. Julie is his wife, registered carer, and the person who held everything together when the world shifted. Together, they share what no one tells you: the shock of the words "severe heart failure," being told to consider a heart transplant in under a minute, the referral that never arrived, the job that had to go, and the invisible weight carried by carers who are never asked how they're doing. This is part one of a two-part series - raw, honest, and essential listening for patients, carers, and healthcare professionals alike. In this episode: 00:00 — Welcome & what this series is about 00:43 — What is the Pumping Marvellous Foundation? 01:24 — Meet Gavin & Julie 02:39 — The moment Gavin couldn't breathe 03:45 — Calling the ambulance — and nearly not going 05:25 — Waiting overnight in A&E for answers 06:09 — The diagnosis delivered and gone in under a minute 09:22 — "You need to talk about a heart transplant" 11:32 — What patients actually need to hear at diagnosis 13:07 — The referral that was never made — self-advocacy in action 17:51 — Why heart failure support doesn't match cancer care 22:08 — The mental health impact: grief, isolation, and losing your future 25:29 — Forced into medical retirement — and fighting for it 28:27 — The carer no one checked in on 30:52 — Losing income, identity, and your social world 31:59 — Why "but you look so well" is its own kind of harm 32:16 — BEAT: why early detection changes everything 🫀 If heart failure is part of your life, you don't have to face it alone. The Pumping Marvellous Foundation is the UK's leading heart failure charity — patient-led, trusted, and here for you. 🔗 Visit: www.pumpingmarvellous.org 💛 Donate £5 today and help someone feel less alone #HeartFailure #HeartFailureAwareness #PumpingMarvellous #HeartFailureUnfiltered #CarerSupport #ChronicIllness #HeartHealth #PatientStories #HeartTransplant #MentalHealthAndHeartDisease #LivingWithHeartFailure #UKCharity #HeartFailurePatient #Cardiomyopathy #BEAT #EarlyDiagnosis #NHSPatients #HeartDisease #PatientAdvocacy #ChronicIllnessLife

It’s the Heart That Talks – Cardiac Device Monitoring for Heart Failure

Welcome to Heart Failure Unfiltered, a 3-part podcast series from the Pumping Marvellous Foundation — the UK’s heart failure charity. In Episode 3: It’s the Heart That Talks, Nick Hartshorne-Evans is joined by Dr Fozia Ahmed, Consultant Cardiologist and patients to explore the future of heart failure care, where cardiac devices don’t just treat the heart… they help predict when it’s in trouble. Because what if we could act before symptoms even begin?   ❤️ Can Your Heart Tell Us It’s Struggling BeforeYou Feel It? This episode explores how remote monitoring and technologies like TriageHF are changing the way we manage heart failure.   📡 Devices that continuously monitor what’s happening inside the body 📊 Data that can signal deterioration early ⚡ The potential to prevent hospital admissions before they happen   This isn’t science fiction. It’s happening now.   🧠 What You’ll Learn   How cardiac devices collect and transmit data from inside the body What remote monitoring actually means for people living with heart failure What the TriageHF algorithm is — explained simply What a “high-risk alert” looks like and how early it can detect deterioration Whether this technology can reduce hospital admissions What happens in the system when an alert is triggered The balance between reassurance and anxiety for patients being monitored The role of AI and predictive care in the future of heart failure ⚡ Why This Matters Heart failure is one of the biggest pressures facing the NHS.   But what if: We could detect deterioration earlier? We could intervene before crisis? We could shift from reactive care… to proactive care?   Remote monitoring has the potential to: ✔ Improve patient outcomes ✔ Reduce emergency admissions ✔ Support more personalised, connected care   But we’re not fully there yet.   🧭 The Bigger Questions   This episode doesn’t just explore technology — it challenges the system:   Are we using this innovation to its full potential? What’s stopping wider adoption across the NHS? How do we ensure this doesn’t widen health inequalities? Could patients one day access and understand their own data in real time?   🎙️ Patient Voice Matters How does it feel to be monitored remotely? For some, it’s reassurance. For others, it raises questions This episode brings the patient voice into the future of care — because technology must work *for people*, not just the system.   🧠 Who This Episode Is For People living with heart failure Patients with ICD, CRT-P or CRT-D devices Healthcare professionals and cardiology teams NHS leaders and commissioners Anyone interested in the future of digital health and AI in care   📣 About the Pumping Marvellous Foundation   We exist to make heart failure understandable, manageable,and less frightening. By amplifying patient voice and working alongside the NHS, we aim to improve outcomes, experience, and system change. Visit https://pumpingmarvellous.org [https://pumpingmarvellous.org] or https://beathf.org.uk [https://beathf.org.uk] for further information. 🔔 End of Series – Stay Connected   This is Episode 3 of our cardiac devices series.   👉 Episode 1: What are ICD, CRT-P & CRT-D? 👉 Episode 2: Life After the Implant   Subscribe for more honest, patient-led conversations about heart failure. 💬 Join the Conversation   Would you feel reassured being monitored remotely? Or would it make you anxious?   Share your thoughts — your perspective matters.