Education and training on heart failure is vital for health care professionals to ensure that they have
a good level of knowledge and understanding of the condition to enable them to provide patients
with appropriate information and a high standard of care. Education should be a team approach and
be provided at intervals throughout the patients journey. The Heart Failure Hub has collated details
of health care professional training courses, although study days and courses are also provided
locally in each health board.
Patient education is also vitally important to ensure people living with heart failure understand their
condition, how to monitor it and when to report key changes. Patient education supports patients
to self manage their condition through key strategies, problem solving abilities and supporting them
to follow a treatment plan. The heart failure hub has collated relevant information tools and
support for patients. There are a number of websites for heart failure but the ones included are
recommended by the hub. Click on the links below for information about these.
Ensuring Success in Heart Failure, 31 January 2024
National Museum of Scotland, Edinburgh
Registration and programme coming soon
British Society for Heart Failure MDT meeting 25 & 26 April 2024
Golden Jubilee Conference Hotel
There will be 150 health care professionals from across the UK attending the event with the objective being to bring together nurses, trainees and HCPs for 2 days of high quality education; lectures, case studies, workshops and discussion.
Heart Failure Association of the ESC – 11-14 May 2024
Lisbon, Portugal
The annual meeting of the Heart Failure Association brings together scientists, healthcare professionals and other players from all around the world.
The world’s leading event covers the entire spectrum of heart failure, from prevention to diagnosis and treatment.
Register early for best savings, the latest science, thought-provoking debates, and brilliant career advice, but you’re also going to get more interactivity in sessions to ask your questions to world-renowned experts.
Association of Cardiovascular Nursing & Allied Professions of the ESC – 14 & 15 June 2024
Wrocław, Poland
The congress brings together all healthcare professionals involved in cardiovascular care, to unite clinicians and researchers around the globe, and to highlight the basic principles that underpin our practice as well as new scientific developments and technologies.
Our unique focus on meaningful synergies across the heart team ensures you benefit from learning, sharing, and networking together to achieve the vision and mission of our association. Register early for best savings.
(Non-consultant clinician; recently appointed consultant [consultant appointment within 5 years from application]; nurse/AHP)
The Scottish Cardiac Society is currently offering travel grants of up to £1,500 to members in the above groups.
Applicants must be members of the Scottish Cardiac Society. Priority will be given to new applicants.
Please use the form here to submit an application, indicating estimated costs and enclosing a covering letter.
If alternative funding is available to you through study leave budget, please try and access this before applying for this grant.
More information about Emily Taylor and her generous gift to the Society.
Emily Taylor Travel Fund – Autumn Meeting prizes
£250 – awarded for best scientific oral presentation at the Autumn Meeting submitted by a non-consultant clinician
£250 – awarded for best scientific poster at the Autumn Meeting submitted by a non-consultant clinician
£250 – awarded for best scientific oral presentation at the Autumn Meeting submitted by an nurse or allied health professional
£250 – awarded for best scientific poster at the Autumn Meeting submitted by an nurse or allied health professional
£200 – awarded for best scientific oral presentation at the Autumn Meeting submitted by a medical student *
£200 – awarded for best scientific poster at the Autumn Meeting submitted by a medical student *
Chosen by a panel of Council representatives. Award must be used to assist with attendance at a future meeting relevant to Cardiology or Cardiac Surgery. Award subject to applicant being a member of SCS and submitting a report to be presented at an SCS meeting and/or publication on SCS website. Award presented up production of receipts or invoices for future meeting.
* Award is unrestricted but should be used for educational purposes.
Scottish Cardiac Society Spring & Autumn Meetings
Funds are available to assist with reasonable travel expenses to the two SCS meetings each year. Please contact the Secretariat for more details. Any applications must be received before the Council meeting prior to the relevant Spring or Autumn meeting.
British Society for Heart Failure
Travel Grants
The BSH offer a limited number of travel grants for non-consultant healthcare professionals who do not have access to travel budgets to attend BSH meetings. The grants will be awarded on a first-come, first-served basis to BSH members who fulfil the eligibility criteria (see the information page in the programme).
Our membership is representative of every health board area in Scotland. Heart failure is a life-limiting condition, and people can live with disabling and isolating symptoms for many years. This organisation is dedicated to supporting the nurses caring for the heart failure population.
We aim to share best practice, provide educational opportunities, and set the standard for heart failure nursing care in Scotland. We welcome new members, and hope you enjoy and learn from the information that this website provides
Why join the SHFNF?
Your membership fee allows the SHFNF to remain independent and able to attract a high calibre of speakers to our educational meeting of which, attendance remains free for our members. SHFNF Membership also provides regular updates and mailings and access to our national network for sharing best practice, seeking support and advice.
With our full membership, you are also entitled to apply for SHFNF Grants up to the maximum amount of £250 to support educational development such as accredited modules or attendance at national/European educational meetings and events.
British Society for Heart Failure
www.bsh.org.uk
The British Society for Heart failure aims to:
increase knowledge and promote research about the diagnosis, causes, management and consequences of heart failure amongst healthcare professionals, with the intention of delaying or preventing the onset of heart failure and improving care for patients with heart failure;
provide expert advice to healthcare professionals, patient or government organisations, including the National Health Service, when appropriate and as requested.
The BSH has a range of resources available including webinars, podcasts, position statements, anticipatory care planning guidance and infographics available to all. Members also have access to a Forum with conversations, access to additional resources and information.
A key resource for nurses working in heart failure is the Heart Failure Specialist Nurse competency framework link. There are also additional competencies for healthcare professionals.
Association of Cardiovascular Nursing & Allied Professions – ESC
Our mission is to support nurses and allied professionals throughout Europe to deliver the best possible care to patients with cardiovascular disease and their families. We do this through the creation and delivery of a diverse programme of activities, including education, research and mentorship.
ACNAP provides access to webinars, conferences, journal articles, podcasts and other educational resources support healthcare professionals. These webinars cover the breadth of cardiovascular disease.
The HFA mission is to improve quality of life and longevity through better prevention, diagnosis and treatment of heart failure, including the establishment of networks for its management, education and research.
The HFA provide a range of heart failure education including webinars, position statements, congresses, short courses and much more.
The HFA have also provided a curriculum for heart failure nurses link
Other resources
Difficult Conversations – talking to people with heart failure about the end of life
This guide which has been written in collaboration with the National Council of Palliative Care and aims to support those caring for people affected by heart failure, in particular healthcare professionals to open up conversations about end of life wishes and preferences.
increase knowledge and promote research about the diagnosis, causes, management and consequences of heart failure amongst healthcare professionals, with the intention of delaying or preventing the onset of heart failure and improving care for patients with heart failure;
provide expert advice to healthcare professionals, patient or government organisations, including the National Health Service, when appropriate and as requested.
The BSH has a range of resources available including webinars, podcasts, position statements, anticipatory care planning guidance and infographics available to all. Members also have access to a Forum with conversations, access to additional resources and information.
The HFA mission is to improve quality of life and longevity through better prevention, diagnosis and treatment of heart failure, including the establishment of networks for its management, education and research.
The HFA provide a range of heart failure education including webinars, position statements, congresses, short courses and much more.
The HFA have also provided a curriculum for heart failure specialists link
Primary Care Cardiovascular Society
The PCCS cardiovascular disease academy for healthcare professionals has 14 different categories surrounding CVD, the content is divided into modules, and a resources page features latest guidelines and relevant publications. Each module is CPD accredited and you can download a certificate directly from the Academy. In addition to these modules, recordings of all four sessions from the spring conference, ‘Current Conversations in Cardiovascular Disease’, are available.
British Heart Foundation – An everyday guide to living with heart failure
Designed for adults of all ages who have heart failure, and for their families, carers and friends, this practical guide will help you understand and manage your condition better. It contains tips and advice about medications, treatment, self-management and dealing with everyday challenges which will help you live your life as full as possible.
• What heart failure is and what can cause it
• What the symptoms of heart failure are and how it is diagnosed
• How heart failure is managed
• What you can do to help control your symptoms and keep yourself well
The booklet also addresses some of the concerns you may have about living day-to-day with heart failure and offers practical advice to help you continue to do the things that you enjoy.
The Pumping Marvellous Foundation (PMF) is the UK’s patient-led Heart Failure charity. Founded by a heart failure patient whose experiences whilst rehabilitating, shaped the Foundation’s goals and principles of a patient-centric charity focused on improved patient outcomes.
Their services and products aim to improve the ability of heart failure patients to self-care, recognising the early symptoms and self-interventions and steps that can be taken to alleviate common symptoms.
Practical information for patients, families and caregivers on what is heart failure, what causes heart failure, what treatments are available and how you can live with heart failure. This site also includes animations describing heart failure and its symptoms as well as videos of people living heart failure. Available in:
This website has been designed for patients with a cardiac implantable electronic device & their relatives. It provides an overview of cardiac devices, procedures & living with a CIED.
Boston Scientific have designed this website to provide a compressive overview of the S-ICD system, implant procedure, complications as well as living with a CIED.
A Fib Matters website has been developed under the direction of the European Heart Rhythm Association of the European Society of Cardiology (EHRA of the ESC). The aim of the website is to provide clear and reliable information and practical advice to people with atrial fibrillation, their families and caregivers.
Contraception & pregnancy with heart failure
Scottish Obstetric Cardiology Network
Contraception in cardiovascular disease – information for patients & healthcare professionals
Information leaflets on heart disease in pregnancy. Includes general patient information leaflet for all women with CVD available in English, Arabic, Polish & Urdu. There is also an infographic & condition specific information.
