NICE Quality Standards for managing chronic heart failure

Dr Rani Khatib is a Consultant Cardiology Pharmacist at Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust and Associate Professor at the Leeds Institute for Cardiometabolic Medicine (LICaM), University of Leeds. As a member of the NICE Guideline Development Group for chronic heart failure (CHF) he recently contributed to the updated Quality Standards for CHF. In this series of short videos, he explains why quality standards are needed and how they can be used in a variety of settings to help improve care for patients with reduced ejection fraction heart failure.

Why do we need NICE Quality Standards for chronic heart failure?

Heart failure is a complex syndrome in which cardiac insufficiency leads to shortness of breath, fatigue, and fluid retention, which can impact hugely on quality of life. It is a chronic condition with a significant mortality and it imposes a huge burden on patients, society and the NHS.

The quality standards build on the NICE guideline on chronic heart failure (NG106) and recent technology appraisals. They provide “concise, measurable statements” that healthcare personnel can use to audit and assess their services, says Dr Khatib.

What are the implications of the NICE Quality Standards?

The NICE quality standards set out what each quality statement means for different audiences such as commissioners, GPs and service providers. For example, according to Quality Statement number 3, clinical pharmacists with an interest in heart failure should ensure that patients receive appropriate, personalised medication, explains Dr Khatib.

In addition, early diagnosis of heart failure could be improved through the use of a blood test for NT Pro BMP (N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide) and the provision of cardiac rehabilitation for patients with heart failure should be enhanced.

About Dr Rani Khatib

Dr Rani Khatib is a Consultant Cardiology Pharmacist at Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust and Associate Professor at the Leeds Institute for Cardiometabolic Medicine (LICaM), University of Leeds. He served on the Guideline Development Group and the Quality Standards Committee for heart failure. In addition, he is Co-chair of UKCPA Cardiovascular Group, National Clinical Champion for Lipid Optimisation, AHSN, NHSE and is a member of the ESC Task Force on Cardiology Allied Professionals.

Read and watch the full series on our website or on YouTube.