Heart Failure Service Reaches Final of National Awards

Lincolnshire’s Heart Failure Service has received national recognition for the support it gives to patients in the community.

The service was a finalist in two different categories of the Patient Safety and Care Awards, which were held in London this week.

The team, which is based across Lincolnshire, had been in the running for the Managing Long Term Conditions and Cardiac Care categories.

The Heart Failure Service supports patients when they experience unstable symptoms and plays a vital role in helping to prevent conditions from escalating and requiring hospital admission. In Lincolnshire, seven heart failure complex case managers sit within community teams to help coordinate care both long and short term.

The nomination in the Cardiac Care category recognised the development of the Heart Failure In-reach Service which ensures patients are referred for ongoing specialist nursing follow up care in the community, provides education to patients and their carers around their diagnosis, and supports wards and other clinical colleagues in the delivery of chronic heart failure care. 

The Heart Failure Service is run by Lincolnshire Community Health Services NHS Trust (LCHS), which delivers care to thousands of patients in their own homes every year.

Jane Scrafton, Countywide Heart Failure Professional Advisor at LCHS, said: “We are very proud to have reached the shortlists for two awards this year and would like to thank all of our colleagues in the integrated community teams who enable us to provide a high quality service in Lincolnshire. We are committed to improving services for people with chronic heart failure and will continue to work with patients, carers and partner organisations to that end.”

LCHS Chief Executive Andrew Morgan said: “This is yet another example of the excellent, quality services which are available to patients in Lincolnshire. Although the team did not win their categories on this occasion, I am very pleased they have had the opportunity to share their work and be chosen as finalists from a strong national field. It is good to see that they are getting the recognition they deserve.”

Earlier this year, the team were 'highly commended' in the British Heart Foundation Professionals Awards for the Integrated Care category.