Earlier this week, the Scottish Heart Failure Nurse Forum (SHFNF) published its latest national review of services. Released in the Forum’s 20th anniversary year, the report provides an up-to-date picture of specialist nursing across Scotland highlighting achievements, challenges, and a clear call to action for the future of heart failure care.
A growing challenge
The burden of heart failure is increasing across Scotland, reflecting both a growing prevalence and an expanding range of effective treatments. This is good news for patients, but it also creates new pressures for services and staff. The report highlights how demand is rising not only because more people are living with heart failure, but also because specialist care is now being extended to new patient groups.
We are encouraged to see heart failure services in many Boards expanding to deliver new treatments and providing structured care for patients with preserved ejection fraction and those in inpatient settings. These developments are crucial to improving outcomes, but they must not come at the cost of core heart failure nursing services, which remain the foundation of patient care.
Sustaining services for the future
The report also underscores the workload pressures facing heart failure specialist nurses across Scotland. As services evolve, we must ensure that expansion is matched with sustainability. This means:
- Robust workforce planning to grow and support the specialist nurse role
- Continued integration of Allied Professionals into heart failure teams
- Stronger collaboration with primary care and non-cardiology specialties
- Access to high-quality data to inform local planning and service deliverycThe importance of SHFNF
The importance of SHFNF
For 20 years, the SHFNF has played a central role in representing heart failure nursing services across Scotland, fostering collaboration and amplifying the voice of specialist nurses. The Forum’s latest review once again provides vital evidence on service delivery, workforce challenges, and opportunities for improvement.
Looking ahead
As demand grows and the landscape of heart failure care continues to evolve, the Forum’s contribution is more important than ever. The findings of this review should act as both a call to action and a roadmap for ensuring services remain sustainable, equitable, and able to meet the needs of people living with heart failure across Scotland.
Read the report here