Patients attending the new BEAT to TREAT heart failure pathway at the Killie Community Hub have provided great feedback, praising the service for its speed, convenience and welcoming, community‑based environment.
NHS Ayrshire & Arran, in partnership with The Killie Community and the Pumping Marvellous Foundation (the UK’s largest patient-led heart failure charity) have recently launched the new BEAT to TREAT pilot pathway. The innovative and patient‑centred care pathway has been designed to improve the early diagnosis and treatment of heart failure in just sixty minutes.
The pathway is available to patients in North and EastHealth and Social Care Partnership catchment areas whose GP practices would normally refer them to the Cardiology Team at University Hospital Crosshouse for outpatient assessment. With the pilot, GPs are being asked to support and identify patients using the BEAT heart failure symptom tool and refer to Cardiology as normal, asking for the BEAT to TREAT pathway in their referral.
The BEAT symptom awareness tool is a simple, memorable and relevant acronym that describes the key symptoms of heart failure and the action of informing your GP or nurse that they should maybe test for heart failure:
- Breathlessness
- Exhaustion
- Ankle swelling
- Time to tell your GP or Nurse
Gaynor Campbell, a Senior Advanced Nurse Practitioner in Cardiology who is heading up the work, explains: “Heart failure is one of the most common reasons that people aged over 65 are admitted to hospital. It is a life-threatening condition, however, finding it and treating it early means better health outcomes for patients. This new pathway means patients who attend their GP with possible symptoms of heart failure can be referred to Cardiology where they will be given the option to attend an appointment at the Killie Community Hub’s BEAT to TREAT clinic. This will last around an hour and include a quick finger prick blood test, called an NT-proBNP, which measures a hormone in your blood and helps our staff to rule in or rule out heart failure in a matter of minutes.
“If the blood test is elevated, this may indicate that your heart is not working as it should be and you will be offered a validated artificial intelligence (AI) heart scan at the same appointment, which takes just 15 minutes. Patients are often prescribed medication there and then to help their symptoms and, if needed, they will be fast-tracked to Cardiology at University Hospital Crosshouse to confirm a diagnosis.”
Feedback from patients who have attended the clinic so far has been extremely positive, with comments about the easy access and parking, the relaxed environment and how it feels less stressful and intimidating than attending a regular hospital appointment.
Crawford McGuffie, NHS Ayrshire & Arran’s Medical Director, said: “We are very grateful to be working with The Killie Community and the Pumping Marvellous Foundation. This collaboration has allowed us to develop a community‑based heart failure pathway that is transforming how quickly patients receive assessment and care, improving outcomes and reducing demand on hospital‑based services.”
Nick Hartshorne-Evans, CEO and Founder of the Pumping Marvellous Foundation, said, “Too many people are still diagnosed with heart failure late, after symptoms have been missed or dismissed as other conditions. BEAT to TREAT helps change that by empowering patients and clinicians to recognise symptoms earlier and supporting an efficient diagnosis. Using technology and glueing together existing pathways, we can speed up the diagnosis. Earlier diagnosis and treatment improve lives and reduce pressure on the NHS.”
Jordan Allison, Head of Charity for The Killie Community, said: “We’re honoured to play our part in identifying heart failure earlier to help save lives across Ayrshire. It has been heartwarming to help create this simple, speedy and accessible pathway, with patients regularly complimenting the calm, familiar and supportive environment at the Hub. We believe The Killie Community Hub, and other facilities, should be used in this way more to meet people where they are.”