How this fits in

Heart failure (HF) prevalence is increasing and requires multidisciplinary management, including within primary care. Using a linked database for North West London’s 2.2 million population, this study found that in 39 301 patients with HF, only 60% had seen their GP and 20% had been referred for cardiac rehabilitation during the study period, while overall use of unscheduled care by patients with HF was high, with >40% using accident and emergency services. Findings from cluster analysis, highlighting groups of patients with HF that are particularly high and low users of elements of care, may facilitate active case finding and provision of more supportive and preventative care to improve outcomes for these patients.