The British Heart Foundation (BHF) has identified that half of heart failure patients are not admitted to a specialist cardiology ward; that these patients often do not receive the specialist care they need; and that this is having an effect on their outcome.
It says that just one-quarter of heart failure patients, not admitted to a cardiology ward in England and Wales, will see a consultant cardiologist during their stay and figures show that this group are 54% more likely to die in hospital than those who do receive specialist care.
Dr Mike Knapton, BHF associate medical director, said: “Heart failure patients can have a worse outlook than many cancer patients. There is currently no cure, but correct management of heart failure can have a huge impact on quality and length of life. It is disappointing to see half of patients in the UK are not getting access to specialist life-extending care. Although much progress has been made in recent years, there is still a mountain to climb before we see all heart failure patients receiving the specialist care they deserve.”
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