26 Outcomes of cardiac rehabilitation provision to those patients with a primary heart failure diagnosis

<h3>Background</h3> The cardiovascular rehabilitation (CR) service for East Cheshire NHS Trust, was not previously funded for the provision of CR to patients with a primary heart failure (HF) diagnosis. NICE (2018) guidance recommends offering personalised exercise-based CR programmes to HF patients. A successful funding bid through NHS England, enabled the expansion of the CR offer to primary diagnosis HF patients for a 12-month period (September 2022 - September 2023). <h3>Aim</h3> To provide and evaluate the impact of CR to those patients with a primary HF diagnosis. <h3>Methods</h3> Patients with a primary HF diagnosis were referred through the local HF MDT. Eighty-two patients (N=82) were referred. All patients were followed up and offered CR which included physical activity, psychological and educational support. Patients were offered a range of CR interventions which included, group based or home-based options including REACH-HF. A functional assessment (Chester Step Test, Sit to Stand or Timed Up and Go) was performed pre and post CR intervention. Quality of life (QOL) data was also collected from NACR questionnaires. <h3>Results</h3> Between September 2022-September 2023, nine patients (n=9) declined CR, five patients (n=5) died, sixteen patients (n=16) received telephone support, twenty patients (n=20) received home based CR, seventeen patients (n=17) received a group-based programme and fifteen patients (n=15) received REACH-HF. 68 patients with a diagnosis of HF completed CR. Data from NACR questionnaires 1 and 2 were recorded prior to and after delivery of CR. <h3>Conclusion</h3> The data provides convincing evidence to the benefits of CR provision to those patients with a primary HF diagnosis, as it leads to improvements in exercise capacity and health related QOL.