{"id":4011,"date":"2026-02-23T11:19:27","date_gmt":"2026-02-23T11:19:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/nish.wales\/?p=4011"},"modified":"2026-02-24T08:44:21","modified_gmt":"2026-02-24T08:44:21","slug":"advancing-the-improve-hf-programme","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/nish.wales\/en\/2026\/02\/23\/advancing-the-improve-hf-programme\/","title":{"rendered":"Advancing the IMPROVE-HF Programme\u00a0to Support Heart Failure Innovation"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Building on the momentum&nbsp;established&nbsp;in last year\u2019s&nbsp;<\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/nish.wales\/en\/2025\/03\/31\/developing-a-comprehensive-heart-failure-research-programme-for-wales\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><strong>pioneering initiative<\/strong><\/a><strong>&nbsp;led&nbsp;<\/strong><strong>by&nbsp;<\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/swansea.ac.uk\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><strong>Swansea University<\/strong><\/a><strong>\u2019s Dr Emma Rees and Dr Aimee Drane<\/strong><strong>, the IMPROVE-HF programme has now entered a new and exciting phase. Supported by the&nbsp;<\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nihr.ac.uk\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><strong>NIHR<\/strong><\/a><strong>, the project continues to unite healthcare professionals, researchers,&nbsp;patients&nbsp;and policymakers to drive forward the future of heart failure innovation in Wales.<\/strong>&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Since the original announcement,&nbsp;significant progress&nbsp;has been made across&nbsp;the project,&nbsp;from nationwide engagement to data-driven innovation.&nbsp;Here are the&nbsp;key updates that mark a major step toward&nbsp;establishing&nbsp;a national approach to heart failure that matters to the public, patients and healthcare professionals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>A Successful All-Wales &#8220;Sandpit&#8221; Event<\/strong>&nbsp;<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In September&nbsp;2025, the team hosted a national \u201csandpit\u201d&nbsp;in&nbsp;Swansea, bringing together 27 clinicians, researchers, public&nbsp;contributors&nbsp;and partners from across Wales. This interactive workshop allowed attendees to:&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Summarise the heart failure services within their organisations&nbsp;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Explore the root causes of poor outcomes&nbsp;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Prioritise key areas for improvement&nbsp;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Collaboratively design potential interventions&nbsp;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Participants&nbsp;identified&nbsp;three overarching challenge areas:&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol start=\"1\" class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Variation and inequality in services across Wales&nbsp;<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<ol start=\"2\" class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Early detection,&nbsp;prevention&nbsp;and diagnosis of heart failure&nbsp;<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<ol start=\"3\" class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Stronger collaboration,&nbsp;innovation&nbsp;and research capacity&nbsp;<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A wide range of potential interventions&nbsp;emerged, including targeted point-of-care testing, AI-assisted echocardiography, rapid medicine optimisation, improved patient experience and empowerment, multidisciplinary heart failure teams, enhanced digital infrastructure, and public-facing awareness strategies.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Insights from this event were shared at the recent National Cardiovascular Research Network meeting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Refining Research Priorities: Focus on Early Detection and Diagnosis in Primary Care<\/strong>&nbsp;<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Thematic analysis from the sandpit event highlighted a clear need to&nbsp;improve the early detection and diagnosis of heart failure within community and primary care, addressing delays that contribute significantly to poorer outcomes.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Knowing that other UK and international teams are also exploring screening and pathway redesign for those with suspected heart failure, the IMPROVE-HF team is conducting a systematic review&nbsp;&#8211;&nbsp;in collaboration with the&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.swanseatrialsunit.org\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Swansea Trials Unit<\/a>&nbsp;&#8211;&nbsp;to map the published evidence of the effectiveness of existing relevant interventions. The review protocol has been published on&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.crd.york.ac.uk\/PROSPERO\/view\/CRD420251269040\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">PROSPERO<\/a>, and the team are at the point of extracting data from key trials for analysis, marking an important milestone for this work package.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Strengthening&nbsp;Wales\u2019&nbsp;Capability in Data-Driven Heart Failure Research<\/strong>&nbsp;<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">At the British Society for Heart Failure Annual Meeting, the team presented findings from another core phase of work conducted in collaboration with Swansea Bay University Health Board, Dr Libby Ellins (National Cardiovascular Research Network) and <a href=\"https:\/\/saildatabank.com\/\">SAIL Databank<\/a>. Together the researchers have\u00a0shown\u00a0that it is\u00a0feasible\u00a0to extract large volumes of ultrasound heart scan (echo) measurements from routine healthcare data and link them to population-level health records. This is important for heart failure research at a population level because adding the scan data will enable researchers to have greater detail about the type and severity of heart failure. This achievement lays the foundation for a new Wales-wide approach which has the potential to transform:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Population epidemiology&nbsp;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Early-risk stratification&nbsp;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Evaluation of cardiovascular clinical pathways&nbsp;and outcomes<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Service planning across Welsh health boards&nbsp;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The research group is now exploring how this model can be extended to other regions of Wales and results have generated excitement among clinical researchers elsewhere in the UK who have reached out to the team to explore future collaboration. &nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Next&nbsp;Steps<\/strong>&nbsp;<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This growing multidisciplinary team strengthens the project\u2019s capacity for analysis, community&nbsp;engagement&nbsp;and future trial development. Meanwhile, the research community continues to grow, with collaborators from Wales and beyond contributing insights,&nbsp;evidence&nbsp;and support.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">With&nbsp;findings&nbsp;promising results nationally, the&nbsp;team is now finalising the systematic review, which will provide&nbsp;evidence&nbsp;to&nbsp;feed directly into the programme\u2019s culminating output: a national consensus document outlining best practices and priority areas for heart failure research across Wales.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This final report&nbsp;&#8211;&nbsp;developed through collaboration between universities, health boards, patients, and community partners&nbsp;&#8211;&nbsp;will form the basis for major future funding applications and coordinated all-Wales research programmes.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The IMPROVE-HF initiative continues to advance the mission of the National Institute for Sport &amp; Health: supporting impactful healthcare innovation that improves population wellbeing.&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Building on the momentum&nbsp;established&nbsp;in last year\u2019s&nbsp;pioneering initiative&nbsp;led&nbsp;by&nbsp;Swansea University\u2019s Dr Emma Rees and Dr Aimee Drane, the IMPROVE-HF programme has now entered a new and exciting phase. Supported by the&nbsp;NIHR, the project continues to unite healthcare professionals, researchers,&nbsp;patients&nbsp;and policymakers to drive forward the future of heart failure innovation in Wales.&nbsp; Since the original announcement,&nbsp;significant progress&nbsp;has been [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":190346150,"featured_media":4038,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"jetpack_seo_schema_type":"","_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_wpcom_ai_launchpad_first_post":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"{title}\n\n{excerpt}\n\n{url}","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"_wpas_customize_per_network":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[1367,1366],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4011","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-case-study","category-news"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_likes_enabled":false,"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pfwlnl-12H","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":2735,"url":"https:\/\/nish.wales\/en\/2025\/03\/31\/developing-a-comprehensive-heart-failure-research-programme-for-wales\/","url_meta":{"origin":4011,"position":0},"title":"Developing a Comprehensive Heart Failure Research Programme for Wales","author":"meganchick1","date":"31st March 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"We are proud to highlight a pioneering initiative\u00a0seeking to improve heart failure care across Wales. Led by Swansea University\u2019s Dr Emma Rees and Dr Aimee Drane, an ambitious programme supported by a one-year NHIR grant, aims to bring together healthcare professionals, researchers, patients and policymakers to establish a consensus on\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;News&quot;","block_context":{"text":"News","link":"https:\/\/nish.wales\/en\/category\/news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/nish.wales\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Wordpress-5-1.png?fit=1200%2C628&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/nish.wales\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Wordpress-5-1.png?fit=1200%2C628&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/nish.wales\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Wordpress-5-1.png?fit=1200%2C628&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/nish.wales\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Wordpress-5-1.png?fit=1200%2C628&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/nish.wales\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Wordpress-5-1.png?fit=1200%2C628&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":4491,"url":"https:\/\/nish.wales\/en\/2026\/06\/04\/swansea-university-msc-advanced-management-healthcare-technologies-everything-you-need-to-know\/","url_meta":{"origin":4011,"position":1},"title":"Swansea University MSc Advanced Management (Healthcare Technologies): Everything You Need to Know\u00a0","author":"meganchick1","date":"4th June 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"We asked\u00a0Dr Natalie De Mello, Swansea University School of Medicine's Lead for Enterprise, Partnerships and Innovation, about the new Masters course in\u00a0Advanced Management (Healthcare Technologies)\u00a0to find out more about the unique course, tailored for aspiring leaders who want to translate scientific and technological advances into impactful solutions to support health\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Blog&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Blog","link":"https:\/\/nish.wales\/en\/category\/blog\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/nish.wales\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Wordpress.png?fit=1200%2C628&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/nish.wales\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Wordpress.png?fit=1200%2C628&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/nish.wales\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Wordpress.png?fit=1200%2C628&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/nish.wales\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Wordpress.png?fit=1200%2C628&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/nish.wales\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Wordpress.png?fit=1200%2C628&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":5222,"url":"https:\/\/nish.wales\/en\/2026\/09\/03\/advancing-targeted-drug-delivery-for-pancreatic-cancer\/","url_meta":{"origin":4011,"position":2},"title":"Advancing Targeted Drug Delivery for Pancreatic Cancer","author":"meganchick1","date":"3rd September 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"Treating pancreatic cancer remains one of the biggest challenges in oncology. While many modern cancer drugs are highly potent, they can be unstable in the body, accumulate in healthy tissues, or cause significant side effects, limiting their effectiveness. Researchers at Swansea University are working to address this challenge through an\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Case Study&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Case Study","link":"https:\/\/nish.wales\/en\/category\/case-study\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/nish.wales\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/Wordpress.png?fit=1200%2C628&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/nish.wales\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/Wordpress.png?fit=1200%2C628&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/nish.wales\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/Wordpress.png?fit=1200%2C628&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/nish.wales\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/Wordpress.png?fit=1200%2C628&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/nish.wales\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/Wordpress.png?fit=1200%2C628&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":2107,"url":"https:\/\/nish.wales\/en\/2024\/12\/02\/transforming-healthcare-education-swansea-universitys-simulation-programme\/","url_meta":{"origin":4011,"position":3},"title":"Transforming Healthcare Education: Swansea University&#8217;s Simulation Programme","author":"meganchick1","date":"2nd December 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"Swansea University\u2019s Simulation Programme is revolutionising education by offering a multitude of opportunities for students, healthcare partners, local communities, and international businesses. As a beacon of research and innovation, the programme continues to expand its global footprint through an impressive portfolio of collaborations across all sectors. https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=Bc2AlUYehfA&list=PLyYI8F-4weCmxAmO_S2QjyIUHWheE1l6Y&index=6 To ensure equitable\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Blog&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Blog","link":"https:\/\/nish.wales\/en\/category\/blog\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/nish.wales\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/Wordpress-1.png?fit=1200%2C628&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/nish.wales\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/Wordpress-1.png?fit=1200%2C628&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/nish.wales\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/Wordpress-1.png?fit=1200%2C628&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/nish.wales\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/Wordpress-1.png?fit=1200%2C628&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/nish.wales\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/Wordpress-1.png?fit=1200%2C628&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":3080,"url":"https:\/\/nish.wales\/en\/2025\/08\/12\/clinical-innovation-in-simulation\/","url_meta":{"origin":4011,"position":4},"title":"Clinical Innovation in Simulation","author":"meganchick1","date":"12th August 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"A Swansea University student has secured funding to develop an innovative simulation project alongside his anaesthetics training. Working with\u00a0Swansea University's Simulation and Immersive Learning Centre\u00a0(SUSIM), academic Dr William Dace will undertake research as a Welsh Clinical Academic Track (WCAT) trainee, supported by ring-fenced investment from the Welsh Government. 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The accolade celebrates Bionema\u2019s groundbreaking NemaTrident, a revolutionary eco-friendly biological solution for crop pest management. As a\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;News&quot;","block_context":{"text":"News","link":"https:\/\/nish.wales\/en\/category\/news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/nish.wales\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/Wordpress.png?fit=1200%2C628&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/nish.wales\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/Wordpress.png?fit=1200%2C628&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/nish.wales\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/Wordpress.png?fit=1200%2C628&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/nish.wales\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/Wordpress.png?fit=1200%2C628&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/nish.wales\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/Wordpress.png?fit=1200%2C628&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/nish.wales\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Wordpress-1.png?fit=1200%2C628&ssl=1","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/nish.wales\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4011","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/nish.wales\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/nish.wales\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nish.wales\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/190346150"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nish.wales\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4011"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/nish.wales\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4011\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4052,"href":"https:\/\/nish.wales\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4011\/revisions\/4052"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nish.wales\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/4038"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/nish.wales\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4011"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nish.wales\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4011"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nish.wales\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4011"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}