Angela Murphy

Heart Failure Nurse Manager, Community Heart Failure Service, Chelsea & Westminster Hospitals Trust

Biography: As lead for the Community Heart Failure service, I manage a small team of specialist nurses providing support to patients with a diagnosis of heart failure In Hounslow and part of Richmond & Twickenham. We ensure patients are on optimal medical therapy, provide education to patients and carers regarding their diagnosis, collaborate with the medical team regarding patients management plan and liaise closely with AHPs in primary and secondary care. We also support ambulatory services as well as a successful Heart Failure Virtual Ward. Our focus includes avoiding unecessary hospital admissions for patients and enabling them to be cared for in their preferred place. I have been involved in a number of service improvement and innovation projects within the Trust and in doing so have helped develop a team who are motivated to try smarter ways of delivering healthcare to our patients.

Horizon Fellowship project summary: We know 79% of patients with heart failure receive their diagnosis during an unplanned admission to hospital. As a community heart failure service we are fortunate to consider an integrated approach.
An earlier diagnosis of heart failure will allow timely introduction of evidence based therapies and reduce the risk of a decline in patients’ health condition, possibly avoid hospital admission and improve prognosis. We suggest targeting high risk patients within primary care and screening them for heart failure in a roaming clinic which will target particularly deprived areas of the borough and reach out to harder to reach cohorts.

Estimated number of patients / staff impacted by the project: 300

Goal(s) for time on the Horizon Fellowship programme: I will draw on the expertise of the fellowship to better understand approaches to further develop my skills in delivering a change project and better understand what is required to embed change within my service and Trust. I hope to enhance my digital, technological and data analysis knowledge to assist me with developing my project.