New at-home treatment for heart failure patients ‘could benefit NHS’

A new UK pilot backed by the British Heart Foundation has demonstrated the benefits of an at-home treatment programme for heart failure patients.

The scheme sees people who require intravenous diuretic therapy for fluid retention given the treatment in the home or a community clinic, rather than being admitted to hospital at greater cost to the NHS.

In the two-year pilot project, 96 patients in ten NHS organisations around the UK were treated in this way, with a 100 percent satisfaction rate among the people receiving the treatment and 93 percent satisfaction among carers.

With specialised training, nurses were shown to be able to safely and effectively provide intravenous diuretics for patients, avoiding hospital stays of an average of 13 days in length associated with this treatment.

Having proven successful in this trial, the British Heart Foundation is calling for the initiative to be rolled out across the NHS.

Caroline Senior, who led the scheme at Leeds Community Healthcare NHS Trust, said: "With training and investment from the NHS this has the potential to make a world of difference for heart failure patients across the UK."