Heart Failure Unfiltered Podcast

Pumping Marvellous, the UK's Heart Failure Charity. Fuelled by patients.

This Podcast has been brought to you by the Pumping Marvellous Foundation the UK's Heart Failure Charity. In our series of Podcasts, talking to people about heart failure, we look beyond the cardiologist and delve into what makes people tick, what’s their “Secret Sauce” the Elixir that drives people to overcome and conquer challenging situations in their life.

  1. Oct 28

    The Pharmacist Will See You Now: Rethinking Heart Failure Care

    In the second episode of our two-part series on the role of pharmacy in heart failure, host Nick Hartshorne-Evans is joined by two leading pharmacists to explore whether pharmacists are the most underutilised clinical resource in heart failure care — and what needs to change to unlock their full potential. Joe Bateman, Consultant Cardiology Pharmacist and Heart Failure Service Lead at the Countess of Chester Hospital, and Katie Peters, Independent Prescribing Clinical Pharmacist in general practice specialising in heart failure, share their frontline experience across three settings: community pharmacy, primary care, and hospital-based specialist services. Together they examine the evolving role of pharmacists in heart failure management, from medicine optimisation and rapid treatment initiation to patient education, decompensation recognition, and collaborative care across primary and secondary settings. The conversation covers the STRONG-HF trial and its implications for rapid optimisation, the challenges of balancing aggressive treatment with patient frailty, and the growing case for pharmacists as integral members of the heart failure multidisciplinary team. The episode also explores what community pharmacy could contribute to heart failure care in the future, the importance of cross-sector collaboration, and the systemic changes needed to make specialist pharmacy the norm rather than the exception. Whether you're a healthcare professional, a pharmacist, or someone living with heart failure, this episode offers a detailed look at how pharmacy is reshaping heart failure care — and why the question "could pharmacists make the difference?" may already have an answer. Timestamps: 00:00 - Welcome to Heart Failure Unfiltered01:35 - Meet the guests: Joe Bateman & Katie Peters01:55 - Are pharmacists the most underutilised resource in heart failure?05:51 - Public perception vs. the real value of pharmacists08:31 - What pharmacists can take off GPs and cardiologists15:26 - The STRONG-HF trial: rapid optimisation explained16:17 - Marvellous Myth Buster: does heart failure happen suddenly?16:41 - Balancing rapid optimisation with patient safety and frailty23:34 - The role of community pharmacy in heart failure29:07 - Making specialist pharmacy the norm, not the exception35:30 - Redesigning heart failure care from scratch36:54 - "The pharmacist will see you now" — closing thoughts About Heart Failure Unfiltered: Heart Failure Unfiltered is a podcast series from the Pumping Marvellous Foundation, the UK's heart failure charity. Hosted by founder and CEO Nick Hartshorn-Smith, the series brings together patients, clinicians, and advocates for open conversations about every aspect of living with and managing heart failure. About the Pumping Marvellous Foundation: The Pumping Marvellous Foundation is a patient-led heart failure charity providing support, education, and advocacy for people living with heart failure in the UK. Their cardiac rehabilitation support programme is free to access for anyone who needs it. Visit pumpingmarvellous.org to learn more. Guests: Joe Bateman — Consultant Cardiology Pharmacist and Heart Failure Service Lead, Countess of Chester Hospital Katie Peters — Independent Prescribing Clinical Pharmacist, General Practice (Heart Failure Specialist) #HeartFailure #Pharmacy #HeartFailureCare #Pharmacist #Cardiology #HeartFailureUnfiltered #PumpingMarvellous #Healthcare #NHS #ChronicDisease #MedicineOptimisation #PatientCare #PharmacyPractice #HeartHealth

  2. Oct 21

    Heart Failure Unfiltered: More Than Medicines – The Untapped Power of Pharmacy in Heart Failure

    Could pharmacists be the difference that people with heart failure have been asking for? In this episode of Heart Failure Unfiltered, host Nick Hartshorne-Evans — founder and CEO of the Pumping Marvellous Foundation, the UK's heart failure charity — sits down with two pharmacy experts who are reshaping how we think about heart failure care. Katie Peters, a clinical pharmacist and independent prescriber specialising in heart failure in primary care, and Joe Bateman, a consultant cardiology pharmacist and heart failure service lead at the Countess of Chester Hospital, break down the evolving role of pharmacists across the entire heart failure pathway. Together, they explore how the traditional "dispensing pharmacist" label no longer reflects the reality of the profession. From pre-diagnosis and early symptom recognition through to tailored medication optimisation, managing comorbidities, and end-of-life care, pharmacists are embedded at every stage of the patient journey. The conversation dives deep into the challenges of HFpEF (heart failure with preserved ejection fraction), the critical gap in medication reinitiation after hospital admissions, the importance of patient education in tackling non-compliance, and why the healthcare system still underutilises the clinical expertise pharmacists bring to the multidisciplinary team. Whether you're a healthcare professional, a patient living with heart failure, or a carer supporting a loved one, this episode offers a clear, honest look at how pharmacists can transform outcomes — and what needs to change for that potential to be fully realised. ⏱️ Chapters 00:00 - Welcome to Heart Failure Unfiltered00:38 - The Untapped Power of Pharmacy in Heart Failure01:20 - Meet the Experts: Katie Peters & Joe Bateman02:47 - Is the "Dispensing Pharmacist" Label Outdated?05:09 - Are Pharmacists Reaching Their Full Clinical Potential?09:24 - From Pre-Diagnosis to End of Life: The Full Pathway13:48 - Medication Optimisation & Patient Education18:35 - Spotting Heart Failure Early: Every Pharmacist's Role24:03 - Marvellous Myth Buster: Is Heart Failure Curable?25:10 - HFpEF: Where Pharmacists Become Superheroes29:49 - Hospital Admissions & the Medication Gap34:25 - The Biggest Impact Pharmacists Can Make Right Now42:38 - If You Could Change One Thing: Final Thoughts 📌 Call to Action Heart failure doesn't just affect one person — it affects families, partners, and carers too. The Pumping Marvellous Foundation provides resources and support to help families navigate heart failure together. If this episode resonated with you: 🔹 Support our work — Visit pumpingmarvellous.org to donate and help us continue supporting families facing heart failure.🔹 Subscribe — Hit subscribe and turn on notifications so you never miss an episode of Heart Failure Unfiltered.🔹 Share — If you found this valuable, share it with someone who needs to hear it.🔹 Get involved — This is the first in a two-part series on pharmacy and heart failure. Stay tuned for Part 2. #HeartFailure #Pharmacy #HeartFailureUnfiltered #PumpingMarvellous #Pharmacist #Cardiology #ChronicDiseaseManagement #HFpEF #HFrEF #NHS #PatientCare #MedicationOptimisation #HeartFailureAwareness

  3. Oct 14

    From Symptoms to Solutions: Managing Heart Failure in Primary Care | Heart Failure Unfiltered

    🔗 Visit: www.pumpingmarvellous.org 💬 Peer support, search "Help for Hearts" on Facebook and apply to join 💛 Donate £5 today and help someone feel less alone Corinne was told she had the heart of an 87 year old smoker. It was blunt, it was said with humour, and it was the first thing anybody had said that she actually understood. So what does good management look like after the diagnosis is done? In the final episode of a three-part series, Nick Hartshorne-Evans - founder and CEO of the Pumping Marvellous Foundation - sits down with pharmacist Shannon Nixon of the Yorkshire and Humber Heart Failure Academy and patient educators Corinne and Katie. Katie plans recovery time around anything she does and has learned to say no. They talk about whether clinicians overthink heart failure and cushion bad news past the point of usefulness, the difference between confidence and competence in a primary care team, and why heart failure with preserved ejection fraction is where the biggest gains are sitting. Corinne watched a man ask a receptionist for an appointment about his swollen legs. The BEAT poster she had put up was on the wall beside the desk. In this episode: 00:00: Welcome and what this episode covers 01:00: Meet Shannon, Corinne and Katie 03:00: Why management is more than medicines 04:30: Energy management, and being understood by your team 05:30: Knowing your limits and planning around them 07:00: The guilt of feeling like a burden 07:40: Do we overthink heart failure? 08:20: "I remember being told I couldn't have children" 09:00: Are we afraid of the word failure? 10:20: The heart of an 87 year old smoker 12:30: Discharged from the specialist team into primary care 15:50: Confidence versus competence 18:50: Rebuilding trust after a missed diagnosis 19:40: Why HFpEF is the bigger opportunity 24:20: The man at the reception desk with swollen legs 27:00: Why primary care holds the key 🫀 If heart failure is part of your life, you don't have to face it alone. The Pumping Marvellous Foundation is the UK's leading heart failure charity, patient-led, trusted, and here for you. ⚡ B.E.A.T. Breathlessness, Exhaustion, Ankle swelling, Time to tell your GP or nurse. If you have a combination of these, speak to your GP surgery. Heart failure is diagnosed with a simple blood test. #HeartFailure #BEATHF #PumpingMarvellous #HeartFailureUnfiltered #HeartFailureAcademy #PrimaryCare #GeneralPractice #HFpEF #HeartFailureManagement #SelfManagement #PatientAdvocacy #CardiacRehab #CardiacCare #NHS #HealthAwareness #ChronicIllness #HeartDisease #UKCharity #YorkshireAndHumber #CardiologyCare

  4. Oct 7

    The Primary Care Moment That Changes Everything | Heart Failure Unfiltered

    🔗 Visit: www.pumpingmarvellous.org 💬 Peer support, search "Help for Hearts" on Facebook and apply to join 💛 Donate £5 today and help someone feel less alone Corinne's fitness hid her heart failure. Katie kept going back to the same surgery with the same symptoms until she took herself to A&E. So how many times should somebody come back before you start looking somewhere else? In the second episode of a three-part series, Nick Hartshorne-Evans - founder and CEO of the Pumping Marvellous Foundation - sits down with patient educators Katie and Corinne Hudson and pharmacist Shannon Nixon, who leads education at the Yorkshire and Humber Heart Failure Academy. The conversation is about the appointment itself, and what a healthcare professional can do inside ten minutes that changes where somebody ends up. Corinne's point is that nobody ever asked what her normal looked like. Katie's is that she stopped pushing because she felt she was disrespecting people who had trained for years. They talk about active listening and the question that comes after it, why patients self doubt themselves into silence, and what happens to people who have no advocate at all. Katie's brother, who is autistic, was diagnosed with the same heart condition last year, and it happened because Katie knew what to push for. In this episode: 00:00: Welcome and what this episode covers 01:00: Meet Katie, Corinne and Shannon 02:20: Their diagnoses in thirty seconds 03:20: What healthcare professionals should take from this 04:20: How many times should someone come back before you investigate? 05:20: Actively listening, and asking the next question 06:00: "What does your normal look like?" 09:10: Old fashioned doctoring, and seeing the passion 10:40: The background people nobody checks on 12:00: Why patient insight changes the training 15:50: Katie's brother, and who advocates for people without support 16:50: The self doubt that stops you pushing back 18:10: The opportunistic conversation that leads to escalation 20:10: 200 people a webinar, and word of mouth 🫀 If heart failure is part of your life, you don't have to face it alone. The Pumping Marvellous Foundation is the UK's leading heart failure charity, patient-led, trusted, and here for you. ⚡ B.E.A.T. Breathlessness, Exhaustion, Ankle swelling, Time to tell your GP or nurse. If you have a combination of these, speak to your GP surgery. Heart failure is diagnosed with a simple blood test. #HeartFailure #BEATHF #PumpingMarvellous #HeartFailureUnfiltered #HeartFailureAcademy #PrimaryCare #GeneralPractice #HeartFailureAwareness #KnowTheSymptoms #ActiveListening #PatientAdvocacy #EarlyDiagnosis #CardiacCare #NHS #HealthAwareness #ChronicIllness #HeartDisease #UKCharity #YorkshireAndHumber #CardiologyCare

  5. Sep 30

    Can You Live Well With Heart Failure? | Heart Failure Unfiltered

    Sarah-Jane was diagnosed at 28 and is a heart failure nurse now. Corinne was heading towards a transplant conversation three years ago and is stable on the same medication. So what does getting your life back actually look like? In this final episode of a four-part series, Nick Hartshorne-Evans - founder and CEO of the Pumping Marvellous Foundation - sits down with Sarah-Jane, Katie and Corinne to ask whether you can build a good life while heart failure stays exactly where it is. Sarah-Jane calls it her reincarnation. Katie could not have children of her own, so she became the aunt whose sister has the kids packed and waiting before the sentence is finished. Corinne slowed down, misses her colleagues, and does not miss the stress. They talk about what "stable" actually means, the abandonment people describe when they are discharged from a specialist team back to primary care, and the postcode lottery that decides whether an echocardiogram takes two weeks or six months. Nick closes on a line he wrote down beforehand. Without inquisitiveness, managing heart failure is Russian roulette. No white coats. No jargon. Just people who've lived it. In this episode: 00:00: Welcome and what this episode covers 01:04: Marvellous myth buster, is extreme tiredness just age? 01:21: Meet Sarah-Jane, Katie and Corinne 02:45: Can you build a good life while heart failure stays? 04:19: "I like to think of heart failure as my reincarnation" 07:56: Is this life better than the one before? 11:15: Do you still see yourself as vulnerable? 14:44: Where the hope actually comes from 16:15: What does stable really mean? 17:16: Feeling abandoned when you go back to primary care 20:07: What we've each discovered about ourselves 22:53: The postcode lottery for an echocardiogram 25:36: Can you still live well, and what that phrase should mean 28:14: Nick's ABCD theory of patients 33:05: Without inquisitiveness, it's Russian roulette 🫀 If heart failure is part of your life, you don't have to face it alone. The Pumping Marvellous Foundation is the UK's leading heart failure charity, patient-led, trusted, and here for you. ⚡ B.E.A.T. Breathlessness, Exhaustion, Ankle swelling, Time to tell your GP or nurse. If you have a combination of these, speak to your GP surgery. Heart failure is diagnosed with a simple blood test. 🔗 Visit: www.pumpingmarvellous.org 💬 Peer support, search "Help for Hearts" on Facebook and apply to join 💛 Donate £5 today and help someone feel less alone #HeartFailure #LivingWithHeartFailure #BEATHF #PumpingMarvellous #HeartFailureUnfiltered #HeartFailureAwareness #HeartFailureRecovery #Hope #SelfManagement #PeerSupport #ChronicIllness #PatientAdvocacy #CardiacCare #NHS #HealthAwareness #HeartHealth #HeartDisease #UKCharity #PublicHealth #CardiologyCare

  6. Sep 30

    Three 10Ks a Week, Then I Couldn't Walk Up the Stairs | Heart Failure Unfiltered

    🔗 Visit: www.pumpingmarvellous.org 💬 Peer support, search "Help for Hearts" on Facebook and apply to join 💛 Donate £5 today and help someone feel less alone In the first episode of a three-part series, Nick Hartshorne-Evans - founder and CEO of the Pumping Marvellous Foundation - sits down with Shannon Nixon of the Yorkshire and Humber Heart Failure Academy and patient educators Corinne Hudson and Katie. Between them, Katie and Corinne were told it was mental health, lifestyle, weight and anxiety. Corinne was testing her own urine, blood pressure and blood sugar at home because she knew something was wrong and nobody would say what. Katie's mum eventually called 111, and the operator sent an ambulance after listening to her try to speak. They talk about what the one appointment that worked actually did differently, why the waiting between scans was harder than the diagnosis itself, and how the Academy is building on BEAT to get heart failure onto the radar of generalists across Yorkshire and Humber. The cardiologist who saw Katie in A&E told her mum he wasn't sure how she was still standing. In this episode: 00:00: Welcome and what this episode covers 01:30: Meet Shannon, Corinne and Katie 02:30: Katie's symptoms, and everything they were put down to 05:00: Corinne was running three 10Ks a week 07:00: The one appointment that was different 08:20: The BEAT symptoms she had all along 09:40: Why generalists don't think heart failure first 11:30: The map the Heart Failure Academy created 14:00: What it felt like to finally have an answer 15:40: Marvellous myth buster, does heart failure only affect older adults? 16:40: The waiting, the ICD, and "my rebrand" 20:20: The 111 call Katie's mum made 22:00: Heart failure as the Cinderella syndrome 24:30: BEAT posters in every practice in Yorkshire and Humber 27:00: The booklet, and why knowledge is power 🫀 If heart failure is part of your life, you don't have to face it alone. The Pumping Marvellous Foundation is the UK's leading heart failure charity, patient-led, trusted, and here for you. ⚡ B.E.A.T. Breathlessness, Exhaustion, Ankle swelling, Time to tell your GP or nurse. If you have a combination of these, speak to your GP surgery. Heart failure is diagnosed with a simple blood test. #HeartFailure #BEATHF #PumpingMarvellous #HeartFailureUnfiltered #HeartFailureAcademy #PrimaryCare #HeartFailureAwareness #KnowTheSymptoms #EarlyDiagnosis #GeneralPractice #NTproBNP #PatientAdvocacy #CardiacCare #NHS #HealthAwareness #ChronicIllness #HeartDisease #UKCharity #YorkshireAndHumber #CardiologyCare

  7. Sep 23

    They Told Me It Was All in My Head | Heart Failure Unfiltered

    Katie spent over a year on antidepressants and diazepam. She had two blood clots in her lungs, one in her left ventricle, and failing kidneys and liver. So what does it take to be believed? In this third episode of a four-part series, Nick Hartshorne-Evans - founder and CEO of the Pumping Marvellous Foundation - sits down with Katie, Sarah-Jane and Corinne for what he calls the most provocative conversation of the series. A GP made Katie run around the car park and come back so he could show her that her oxygen levels had not changed. Corinne was told to stop recording her own blood pressure because she was making herself anxious. Sarah-Jane woke at 38 weeks pregnant unable to breathe and was worked up for a pulmonary embolism, a chest infection and childhood asthma before anyone looked at her heart. They talk about how one line in your notes follows you from doctor to doctor, why no patient ever walks into a surgery and says they think they have heart failure, and what to say at the next appointment when you have already been told you are fine. Sarah-Jane is a heart failure nurse now. She makes extra time for her younger patients. No white coats. No jargon. Just people who've lived it. In this episode: 00:00: Welcome and what this episode covers 01:17: Meet Katie, Sarah-Jane and Corinne 03:13: When you first know something is genuinely wrong 05:05: Waking up at 38 weeks pregnant unable to breathe 06:36: Cold after cold, and sleeping sat up 08:23: "I don't know how to tell you this, but it's in your head" 10:06: What the symptoms actually turned out to be 13:44: When you start to doubt yourself 15:34: The emergency section nobody expected her to survive 17:00: Marvellous myth buster, do you have to manage this alone? 21:10: Why young people get overlooked 26:20: Why nobody walks in saying "I think I've got heart failure" 33:36: What to say when you are told everything is fine 36:36: Nick at the GP in his pyjamas and slippers 🫀 If heart failure is part of your life, you don't have to face it alone. The Pumping Marvellous Foundation is the UK's leading heart failure charity, patient-led, trusted, and here for you. ⚡ B.E.A.T. Breathlessness, Exhaustion, Ankle swelling, Time to tell your GP or nurse. If you have a combination of these, speak to your GP surgery. Heart failure is diagnosed with a simple blood test. 🔗 Visit: www.pumpingmarvellous.org 💬 Peer support, search "Help for Hearts" on Facebook and apply to join 💛 Donate £5 today and help someone feel less alone #HeartFailure #Misdiagnosis #BEATHF #PumpingMarvellous #HeartFailureUnfiltered #HeartFailureAwareness #KnowTheSymptoms #Breathlessness #NotInYourHead #WomensHealth #MaternalHealth #PatientAdvocacy #CardiacCare #NHS #HealthAwareness #ChronicIllness #HeartDisease #UKCharity #PublicHealth #CardiologyCare

  8. Sep 16

    Nobody Tells You What Happens Next | Heart Failure Unfiltered

    Donna was told she had heart failure on a Thursday. On the Friday she was back running her shop. So what happens once everybody decides the emergency is over? In this second episode of a four-part series, Nick Hartshorne-Evans - founder and CEO of the Pumping Marvellous Foundation - sits down with Corinne, Donna and Danny to talk about the part nobody plans for, the weeks and months after the diagnosis. Danny came home with a bag of tablets and no idea what any of them did, and his wife Jane spent four nights awake watching him sleep. Corinne worked out how serious it was from a copy of a letter sent to her GP. Donna did not leave the house for a year. They talk about the visitors who stop coming after a week, side effects that get brushed off as "you're on a lot of medication now", and why nobody thinks to hand you a peer support group along with the prescription. Danny decided in his hospital bed that he would climb Ben Nevis within twelve months. He did it. No white coats. No jargon. Just people who've lived it. In this episode: 00:00: Welcome and what this episode covers 01:27: Meet Corinne, Donna and Danny 02:05: What happens when everyone thinks the emergency is over 05:16: A diagnosis drip-fed over months, and the "magic box" ICD 07:17: The visitors stop coming after about a week 09:28: The first night at home 18:03: A bag of tablets and nobody explaining them 22:36: The emotional side nobody checks on 25:18: Why peer support should be prescribed 26:05: Losing the social life you used to have 28:20: When the fear finally became manageable 30:44: Finding the humour, and the Robbie Williams tickets 34:07: What helped you believe tomorrow might come 39:40: Helping somebody win at something 🫀 If heart failure is part of your life, you don't have to face it alone. The Pumping Marvellous Foundation is the UK's leading heart failure charity, patient-led, trusted, and here for you. ⚡ B.E.A.T. Breathlessness, Exhaustion, Ankle swelling, Time to tell your GP or nurse. If you have a combination of these, speak to your GP surgery. Heart failure is diagnosed with a simple blood test. 🔗 Visit: www.pumpingmarvellous.org 💬 Peer support, search "Help for Hearts" on Facebook and apply to join 💛 Donate £5 today and help someone feel less alone #HeartFailure #LivingWithHeartFailure #BEATHF #PumpingMarvellous #HeartFailureUnfiltered #HeartFailureAwareness #HeartFailureRecovery #CaregiverSupport #PeerSupport #ChronicIllness #PatientAdvocacy #CardiacCare #NHS #HealthAwareness #HeartHealth #HeartDisease #UKCharity #PublicHealth #MentalHealthAndIllness #CardiologyCare

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About

This Podcast has been brought to you by the Pumping Marvellous Foundation the UK's Heart Failure Charity. In our series of Podcasts, talking to people about heart failure, we look beyond the cardiologist and delve into what makes people tick, what’s their “Secret Sauce” the Elixir that drives people to overcome and conquer challenging situations in their life.

Information

  • Creator
    Pumping Marvellous, the UK's Heart Failure Charity. Fuelled by patients.
  • Years Active
    2024 - 2026
  • Episodes
    64
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Pumping Marvellous, the UK's Heart Failure Charity. Fuelled by patients.
  • Show Website
    Heart Failure Unfiltered Podcast