Heart Failure Awareness Week 2026
27 April - 3 May 2026
‘Awareness Today, Protection Tomorrow’
Proudly supporting the European Heart Failure Awareness Campaign led by the ESC HFA
Coding isn’t optional - it’s life saving
We are delighted the recent news that the 2026/27 GP contract will, for the first time, embed “four-pillar” heart failure therapy at the heart of primary care, an important and progressive step forward for England.
As a UK-wide society, we are committed to supporting this momentum across all four nations. In particular, we recognise the critical role of informed and consistent coding in ensuring patients are accurately identified, optimally treated, and able to benefit from these advancements in care.
We look forward to working collaboratively with our members and partners to help strengthen this approach across the UK, improving outcomes for people living with heart failure. Please support our primary care colleagues in ensuring we use the correct coding for our patients
Download our digital materials for England below - these include the 3 SNOMED HF codes.
A message from our Chair
"If cancer were treated like heart failure, there would be a national outcry. Heart failure affects more people in the UK than many cancers, yet it remains under-recognised, under-diagnosed, and too often picked up too late.
This Heart Failure Awareness Week is our moment to change that. Heart failure is not rare. It is not benign. And it is treatable. Breathlessness, leg swelling, fatigue? Think heart failure! Check NT-proBNP. Refer urgently via the 2- or 6-week pathway. Do not delay.
Because when we diagnose early and treat fast, we don’t just improve outcomes, we save lives."
Carys Barton, Chair of BSH Board
Heart failure coding across our nations
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HFrEF: 703272007
HFmrEF: 788950000
HFpEF: 446221000
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Northern Ireland are still on Read codes but will transition to SNOMED in the future.
HFrEF:
G5yy9 - Read 2
XaIIq XafeB - CTV3
G5yy9 = LVSD (functional equivalent). XafeB = 'HF with reduced EF' — most direct CTV3 match
LVSD
G5yy9 - Read 2
XaIIq - CTV3
These are the QOF trigger codes for HF003/HF004 (ACEi/ARB and beta-blocker indicators)
HFmrEF
G58z. (+ free text) - Read 2
CTV3 - no clean equivalent
No Read v2 or CTV3 code maps directly. Use G58z. (Heart failure NOS) with free-text annotation, or enter SNOMED directly if EMIS supports it
HFpEF
G5yyA - Read 2
XaWyi - CTV3
G5yyA = LV diastolic dysfunction. XaWyi = 'HF with normal ejection fraction' — closest CTV3 match. Supporting echo code: 585g. / XaJ99
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Wales currently use EMIS codes but there is a plan to move to SNOMED
8HBE – Heart failure follow up
G58: Heart Failure confirmed (Please free text HFmrEF)
G585.00: Heart Failure with reduced ejection fraction
G583.00: Heart failure with preserved ejection fraction
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Scotland is not using SNOMED at the moment, they are still on Read codes. When the transition occurs they will move over.
G58.. Heart failure
G580. Congestive heart failure
G5800 Acute congestive heart failure
G5801 Chronic congestive heart failure
G5802 Decompensated cardiac failure
G5803 Compensated cardiac failure
G5804 Congestive heart failure due to valvular disease
G581. Left ventricular failure
G5810 Acute left ventricular failure
G582. Acute heart failure
G583. Heart failure with normal ejection fraction
G584. Right ventricular failure
G58z. Heart failure NOS
1O1.. Heart failure confirmed
Resources
Upcoming Events across HFAW
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Why Coding HF Matters: From Clinic to the NHS
Friday 24 April 2026
Join us for a Heart Failure Awareness Week special of Beatwise The Podcast, exploring how accurate coding shapes diagnosis, risk recognition, and patient outcomes, and why inconsistencies can lead to missed patients and lost opportunities for early intervention.
In collaboration with Beatwise
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Discussion of Heart Failure Nurse Services
Tuesday 28 April 2026
6:30- 7:30 PMJoin heart failure nurse leaders from across the four nations for a focused discussion on heart failure nurse services, sharing insights from regional experiences and highlighting common themes in practice.
In collaboration with national heart failure nurse forums
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Lunch & Learn Heart Failure Awareness Week Webinar
Wednesday, 6 May 2026
12:30–1:30 PMJoin heart failure experts for a practical, case-based session designed for community and primary care colleagues across London.
In collaboration with North and South London Cardiac Operational Delivery Networks
Catch-up on our Heart Failure Awareness Webinar
Hear from leading heart failure nurses across the four nations.
They offer insights from their regional experiences and identify shared themes shaping clinical practice.
The BSH Nurse Forum are pleased to announce that the 2026 HFAW Competition is now open.
We invite all teams to submit photos and testimonials of their efforts to celebrate HFAW and showcase what their services provide to their population.
Please email your submissions to events@bsh.org.uk
HFAW competition
Films
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Patient stories
This documentary features patient’s across the UK and their stories, whose poignant insights and guidance inform our activities. Patient voice is one of the most important components in any healthcare organisation plan.
Watch here
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Find Me
This documentary features four remarkable couples whose stories highlight the lifesaving impact of not only vigilance but hope and empathy. Each couple shares their journey of recognising heart failure symptoms and urging their loved one to seek medical attention, which, in many cases, was a crucial step in saving their lives.
Watch here
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Specialist Perspective
Our specialists discuss the vital role of advanced medical technologies in modern healthcare, focusing on how innovations have transformed patient outcomes over time. They explore the journey from early scientific discovery to real-world application, highlighting the challenges, breakthroughs, and ongoing developments that continue to shape treatment approaches today.
Watch here
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The Symptoms
Our specialists discuss the underlying causes and progression of heart failure, explaining how the condition develops and impacts the body over time. They highlight key symptoms patients should be aware of, as well as the importance of early diagnosis
Watch here
The Heart Failure Landscape
Cardiovascular disease is the UK’s biggest killer, accounting for a third of lives lost annually.
HF presents a significant healthcare challenge, affecting approximately 1 in 4 UK individuals and places a considerable strain on resources.
HF is more prevalent than the four most common cancers combined and if untreated just as malignant.
Over 1 million people in the UK have been diagnosed with heart failure with around 200,000 new diagnosis every year.
There are an estimated 400,000 additional people in the UK with the condition who are completely unaware.
Currently, 80% of HF is diagnosed in hospital following an acute event in the UK despite 40% having presented symptoms in primary care.
Survival following an acute admission is 1 in 3 in the year after discharge.
The number of people with long-term conditions is rising with heart failure set to grow by 92% by 2040.
It accounts for 5% of all emergency hospital admissions and costs the NHS approximately £2 billion annually.
Only 39% of HF patients were seen on a cardiology ward in 2024
Get involved in 25in25
By working collaboratively, we can reduce the number of avoidable deaths from heart failure by 25% in the next 25 years - join our 25in25 mission.
We have built an online Resource Centre where you can download:
The latest GRASP:HF case finding tool
Data specifications to use the BSH heart failure indicators in your area
Our heart failure system searches.
We are currently clinically validating the 25in25 Dashboard. Once this work has been done, you’ll be able to download the Dashboard files and use our search tool within your practice - for FREE
