On 3 September 2025, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) released its updated guidance on ‘Chronic heart failure in adults: diagnosis and management’.
The guidance mentions the role of pharmacy for the first time and has implications for an expanded role for primary care in managing heart failure.
The guidance makes several recommendations, including on the use of combination treatment of the four main types of treatment: angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors (ACEIs), beta-blockers (BBs), mineralocorticoid receptor antagonists (MRAs) and sodium-glucose co-transporter-2s (SGLT2s) inhibitors — also known as the four pillars — in the early treatment of heart failure.
In this episode of The PJ Pod, clinical editor Caitlin Killen talks to Paul Wright, consultant cardiovascular pharmacist at Barts Health NHS Trust, to learn more about the guidance and its implications for practice.
This episode was produced by Geoff Marsh.
Further resources
- ‘Chronic heart failure in adults: diagnosis and management’, National Institute for Health and Care Excellence;
- ‘2023 focused update of the 2021 ESC guidelines for the diagnosis and treatment of acute and chronic heart failure’, European Heart Journal;
- ‘2022 AHA/ACC/HFSA Guideline for the management of heart failure’, Circulation;
- ‘Life-saving new service for patients with heart failure’, Barts Health NHS Trust.
