Why Primary Care Holds the Key to Heart Failure | Heart Failure Unfiltered

Heart failure affects over a million people in the UK - yet most patients have never once thought to ask: "Could I have heart failure?" In this episode of Heart Failure Unfiltered, recorded live at Liverpool Podcast Studios, we dig deep into why primary care is the most powerful - and currently underleveraged - tool in the fight against heart failure.

Hosted by Nick Hartshorne-Evans, Founder & CEO of the Pumping Marvellous Foundation, this episode features an honest, unfiltered conversation with:

Dr. Sue Kemsley: GP, GPSI in Cardiology, Clinical Lead for Health Innovation Northwest Coast & the Northwest Coast Cardiac Network

Katie: Diagnosed with dilated cardiomyopathy at 25, now a patient educator with Pumping Marvellous

Gavin: Living with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy from birth, progressed to advanced heart failure, and now two years post-transplant

Together, they unpack the systemic gaps in detection and management, share powerful patient stories, and explore what it takes to genuinely transform primary care's role in heart failure outcomes.

Heart Failure Unfiltered is a podcast series by the Pumping Marvellous Foundation. This is Episode 2 of 4 of the BEAT Masterclass. Subscribe so you don't miss the rest of the series.

Chapters:

00:00 - What is this podcast series about?

00:20 - Why primary care holds the key to heart failure

01:40 - About Pumping Marvellous Foundation

02:36 - Introducing the guests: Katie, Dr. Sue Kemsley & Gavin

04:30 - Why breathlessness gets normalised & misdiagnosed

06:46 - Why primary care sits at the centre of diagnosis & management

08:30 - The Dr. Google problem & delayed GP access

14:10 - Has anyone ever asked "Do I have heart failure?"

15:30 - Shock of diagnosis: patients leaving hospital not knowing they had it

17:30 - Did the masterclasses build clinical confidence?

19:25 - Myth buster: breathlessness is NOT just ageing

19:45 - Clinical curiosity — is it taught or innate?

22:00 - How to do a thorough long-term condition review

24:30 - What does a good heart failure review actually look like?

31:22 - From hospital to home: navigating the handover gap

35:30 - Heart failure care plans — what should happen vs. reality

38:00 - What gave clinicians at the masterclass a new perspective?

42:00 - Student nurses inspired to move into cardiology

46:00 - What gives Dr. Sue Kemsley hope for the future?

48:30 - Generalist specialists & heart failure champions in every locality

53:00 - Patient educators: knowing what you know changes everything

56:10 - The tipping point: when will patients start asking about heart failure?

59:00 - How a hospital in Kilmarnock was plastered in heart failure awareness

01:01:00 - Closing reflections & what comes next

About the Pumping Marvellous Foundation

The Pumping Marvellous Foundation is the UK's heart failure patient charity — designed by patients, for patients. From clear, accessible information to peer-to-peer support and patient education programmes, they're on a mission to make sure no one faces heart failure alone.

👉 Visit: pumpingmarvellous.org

💛 Support us: Just £5 a month can help reach the next patient who needs us.

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