Bridging the Gap in Heart Failure Care: QDR Health’s Vision

As Launchpad Cohort 7 company QDR Health launches the beta release of its precision management system, Co-Founder, CEO and Resident NHS Doctor, Dr Habeeb Kamal, reflects on his experiences of providing care for heart failure patients, and how digital tools, such as QDR Health’s solution, can empower clinicians and improve outcomes for patients.

In the UK, approximately 920,000 people are affected by heart failure – a condition where the heart struggles to pump blood efficiently. This leads to debilitating symptoms such as severe breathlessness, fatigue and fluid retention.

Each year, around 80,000 patients are admitted to hospitals due to heart failure, with care costs exceeding £2 billion, amounting to 2% of the NHS budget. Despite advancements in medical care, systemic challenges such as operational bottlenecks, fragmented processes and resource constraints hinder optimal patient outcomes.

These limitations underscore the need for innovative solutions that align technological advancements with the realities of frontline care. QDR Health is an early-stage digital health company focused on building these solutions.

The Frontline Reality: Mrs. L’s Story (Anonymised)

One particularly memorable shift in A&E brought in Mrs. L., a 72-year-old woman gasping for air, her legs swollen with fluid. Her oxygen levels had plummeted – a textbook case of acute decompensated heart failure. A chest X-ray confirmed pulmonary oedema, requiring immediate intervention.

As her doctor, I stabilised her breathing with non-invasive ventilation and intravenous diuretics. Convincing the admitting registrar to allocate a cardiology bed—a scarce resource—was the next hurdle. Across the NHS, heart failure patients can often face delays waiting for appropriate beds due to increasing demand and limited availability. Cardiology beds can ensure that a patient is treated by a specialist, and evidence shows that specialist treatment can be critical in improving patient outcomes in heart failure.

Once admitted, optimising Mrs. L.’s condition for discharge required a delicate balance of medications and monitoring of kidney function. Limited access to echocardiography further delayed progress. On discharge, the risks didn’t end. Studies show that Heart Failure (HF) is a leading cause of hospitalisation and is associated with high morbidity and mortality post‐discharge.

How QDR Health Addresses These Challenges

Heart failure care presents an immense financial and operational burden on the NHS, with each hospital admission costing £3,796. Multi-morbidities, such as diabetes and kidney disease, exacerbate costs and complicate treatment, while staff shortages and fragmented IT systems add to the strain.

QDR Health seeks to transform heart failure care by addressing these systemic challenges at every stage of care. Leveraging real-time risk stratification, QDR’s digital tools aim to empower clinicians to make faster, more accurate decisions. Predictive analytics can identify high-risk cases like Mrs. L.’s, facilitating timely allocation of scarce resources, such as cardiology beds, and aligning clinical urgency with availability.

QDR’s real-time risk assessment tools enable early interventions and efficient resource management. For acute cases, this ensures that vital resources are directed to patients who need them most. Integrated diagnostic capabilities can provide accurate insights even in resource-constrained environments, enabling precision in treatment planning.

Post-discharge, QDR Health tools can bridge the gap between inpatient and outpatient care. Telemonitoring tools provide continuous support, allowing clinicians to track recovery and intervene before complications arise. For patients, this translates to reduced readmissions and improved recovery trajectories, addressing critical weaknesses in heart failure care.

QDR Health and Beyond

The challenges faced by heart failure patients like Mrs. L. highlight the urgent need for systemic reform in healthcare. Bridging digital divides requires simplifying interfaces, investing in clinician training, and expanding access to underserved populations. Collaboration among policymakers, digital health companies and healthcare providers is essential to creating an interoperable digital framework that fosters equitable and effective care.

QDR Health is at the forefront of this transformation, leveraging advanced digital solutions to address critical issues in heart failure care. Its tools are designed to optimise risk determination, resource allocation and personalised care implementation. By integrating predictive analytics into clinical workflows, QDR Health ensures that high-risk patients receive timely and effective interventions.

These innovations have garnered recognition and support from leading healthcare programmes, including the NHS Clinical Entrepreneur Programme, the British Heart Foundation Cardiostars programme, the MSE Innovation Fellowship, Health Innovation Yorkshire and Humber’s Propel@YH Programme and DigitalHealth.London’s Launchpad. Internationally, QDR’s participation in the P4 Precision Medicine Accelerator underscores the global relevance of its solutions.

A Vision for the Future

Heart failure care in the UK stands at a critical crossroads. With the right combination of technological precision and human compassion, the NHS can alleviate systemic burdens while improving outcomes for patients.

QDR Health embodies this vision, developing tools that can enhance both patients’ outcomes and quality of life. For patients like Mrs. L., innovations like this are not just promising, but an imperative step toward a healthier future. By empowering clinicians and bridging gaps in care, QDR Health is poised to redefine heart failure management and inspire a brighter, patient-centred future for healthcare.

QDR Health is launching a beta release of their precision management platform.

If you are interested in arranging a pilot study or supporting their mission otherwise, please sign up at QDRHealth.co.uk or email Habeeb Kamal.

QDR Health is part of the seventh cohort of the DigitalHealth.London Launchpad programme.

DigitalHealth.London Launchpad is funded by the UK Government via the UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF). It is delivered by the Health Innovation Network (HIN) South London in partnership with the Office of Life Sciences, CW+, Medicity, NHS England and the Mayor of London.

For more information, please visit https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/uk-
shared-prosperity-fund-prospectus.