Welcome to Heart Improvement
The Heart Improvement Programme supports cardiac networks and local teams to redesign their services and achieve sustainable changes to their services for patients and staff.
Our work is closely aligned to the National Service Framework for CHD, and the team works closely with clinical leads and the Department of Health to implement policies and strategies to improve services for patients, carers and staff.
Supported by national clinical leads until 2011, the Heart Improvement Programme focuses on:
- Prevention and earlier diagnosis
- Vascular checks
- Rehabilitation - implementing the NICE guidelines
- Sustainable cardiac pathways
- Pathways for Heart failure Care
- Reperfusion, primary angioplasty and pre-hospital thrombolysis
Whats new...?
Cardiac Network Directors and Clinical Leads January 2010 meeting
To view all the presentations from the recent meeting including and update on the Quality and Productivity Challenge click here
Commissioning Pack for Cardiac Rehabilitation
NHS Improvement will be working with the Strategic Commissioning Development Unit at DH to develop a Commissioning Pack for Cardiac Rehabilitation. Click here for further details
NHS Improvement working with healthcare professionals and patients to develop guidelines for patient information following PPCI
Patients who have a primary PCI for STEMI have shorter hospital stays and with these short stays come the challenge of giving patients and carers the information they require prior to discharge. A working group are developing guidelines for staff that care for these patients with a publication planned for March 2010.
For further information contact Carol Marley carol.marley@improvement,nhs,uk
Delivering the NHS Health Check: A Practical Guide to Point of Care Testing
Identifies some of the pros and cons to the use of Point of Care Testing (POCT) as well as practical ‘solutions’ and learning from the field.
Primary PCI... 1 year on and counting
A new dedicated newsletter that provides updates on national progress, local good news stories, frequently asked questions and a ‘focus on’ section that will address particular challenges that the implementation of this service can present
Cardiac Rehabilitation - National Priority Projects: Lessons and learning one year on...
Cardiac rehabilitation (CR) is a national priority project of NHS Improvement focusing on increasing the access to, equity of provision and uptake of CR services for heart attack, angioplasty and CABG patients. The project summaries include issues to be addressed, baseline position, actions taken, key learning, QIPP outcomes and results to date from the 11 projects participating in this work.
Atrial fibrillation in primary care: making an impact on stroke prevention National priority project final summaries. The document aims to capture the final summary of their individual approach, lessons learned, improvements to practice and quality outcomes, also sharing tools and resources developed to enable other health communities to drive this agenda forward.

All of the documents are published under a Creative Commons Licence.
