Scaling Specialist Heart Failure Clinics for Early Diagnosis

Challenge

Heart failure was underdiagnosed and poorly managed, as standard cardiology appointments were limited to 8 minutes per patient. This left no time for additional diagnostics, meaning many cases were only detected at late-stage progression, when interventions were less effective. Additionally, no structured national registry existed, leading to poor follow-up care and patient drop-off. Without consistent tracking or specialist oversight, patients were not receiving the care required to prevent deterioration.

Solution

• Established 50 dedicated heart failure clinics, staffed by cardiologists focused solely on complex, high-risk patients.

• Extended consultation times, enabling clinicians to conduct detailed assessments, order necessary diagnostics, and intervene earlier.

• Created a national heart failure patient registry, ensuring structured follow-up care and regular monitoring.

• Redesigned workflows to allow cardiologists to work at full capacity on complex cases, while lower-risk patients were managed through standard pathways.

Impact

✅ Heart failure patient registrations increased from 3,500 to 85,000, closing a critical gap in national healthcare data.

✅ Earlier detection led to better-managed cases, reducing emergency hospitalisations and complications.

✅ Standardised patient tracking improved continuity of care, ensuring patients received ongoing follow-up and preventive treatment.

By focusing specialist resources on complex cases, this initiative fundamentally changed how heart failure is diagnosed and managed, creating a more efficient, patient-centred model with long-term sustainability.