News and events

Today marks 150 days since the launch of the Integrated Heart Failure Service (IHFS) by Hertfordshire Community NHS Trust (HCT). This service was launched in March 2024 in Lower Lea Valley and is now fully operational across all six localities in East and North Hertfordshire: 

• Lower Lea Valley
• North Herts
• Stevenage
• Stort Valley
• Upper Lea Valley and 
•  Welwyn and Hatfield

The IHFS was developed by colleagues across the East and North Hertfordshire Health and Care Partnership, a coalition of ten health, social and voluntary care organisations with HCT leading the delivery. The service aims to improve health outcomes for patients living with heart failure by providing personalised and comprehensive care closer to home.

Since its launch, the service has received 369 referrals and accepted over 300 patients, demonstrating its critical role in the community. The service is available to all patients over the age of 18 who are registered with a GP in East and North Hertfordshire and have a confirmed diagnosis of heart failure.

Rachel Hards, Clinical and Operational Lead for the IHFS, expressed her satisfaction with the service's progress:

"We are thrilled to have launched the IHFS in all localities across East and North Hertfordshire. It is incredibly rewarding to see the positive impact we are having on patients' lives by providing accessible and comprehensive heart failure care."

One of the first patients to benefit from the service (pictured above) shared her experience: 

"Perfect! Everybody is lovely, being seen locally is so convenient."