Freedom from failure: Heart failure through the lens of population health

At a time when deaths from coronary heart disease and stroke are markedly declining, despite the Covid-19 pandemic, deaths from heart failure are increasing. The management of this devastating long-term condition is estimated to account for 2 per cent of the entire NHS budget, with 70 per cent of this spent on acute hospital admissions. Both prevalence and incidence of heart failure increase steeply with increasing age and with deprivation but outcomes for patients are improved with earlier diagnosis and treatment.