A missed cough. An inhaler that didn't work. A night spent drowning in his own home. Gav Redhead's heart failure diagnosis came far too late — and he's not alone.

In this first episode of a two-part series, Nick Hartson-Evans (founder and CEO of the Pumping Marvellous Foundation) sits down with Gav Redhead (patient educator and heart transplant recipient), Amy Newton (Medtronic), and Gail (ICB CVD Prevention Commissioner) to ask one question again and again: why does being first across the line to detect heart failure matter so much — to patients, to the NHS, and to everyone in between?

Gav walks us through his own terrifying route to diagnosis, from a useless inhaler to a hospital bed and eventually a heart transplant. From there, the panel unpacks why the system still isn't built for prevention, what "primordial prevention" actually means, and how community-based BEAT Heart Health Events — funded by Medtronic and delivered with the Pumping Marvellous Foundation — are catching hidden cases of hypertension and heart failure in as little as 60 minutes, for a fraction of the cost of a hospital pathway.

This is part one of a two-part series — don't miss part two, where the conversation goes beyond the individual story to the bigger system question.

In this episode:00:00 — Welcome to a two-part series on beating heart failure00:47 — Meet Gav, Amy & Gail01:54 — Gav's heart failure story begins04:18 — The night he couldn't breathe05:28 — "You've got severe heart failure"05:48 — Talk turns to transplant06:44 — Would BEAT screening have caught it sooner?07:52 — Why frontline clinicians still miss heart failure08:52 — Why early diagnosis saves lives09:29 — The red flags we're too slow to catch11:27 — Have we failed at CVD prevention?12:24 — Heart disease, climate change & the double whammy14:03 — Inside the NHS 10 Year Plan15:46 — Bringing the BEAT initiative to communities16:30 — Core20PLUS5 and tackling health inequality18:16 — Does community screening actually work?19:41 — The simple blood test that rules out heart failure22:06 — What attracted Medtronic to fund BEAT23:38 — Medtronic's roots in cardiovascular care24:45 — Social value, procurement & industry's bad rep27:25 — Scaling BEAT with ICBs and PCNs28:47 — What Gail has learned from being on the ground29:32 — Diagnosis in 60 minutes, not six weeks30:20 — Why aren't we doing this everywhere?33:56 — Reaching younger, undiagnosed people35:06 — AI echo and mass blood test screening in action36:03 — How many people are living with undiagnosed CVD?37:11 — A personal wake-up call38:23 — The obesity picture38:47 — Key takeaways so far40:02 — What heart failure really costs the NHS41:37 — Closing thoughts: earlier changes everything

🫀 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.🔗 Visit: www.pumpingmarvellous.org💛 Donate £5 today and help someone feel less alone

#HeartFailure #HeartFailureAwareness #PumpingMarvellous #HeartFailureUnfiltered #BEATHeartHealth #CVDPrevention #EarlyDiagnosis #NHS10YearPlan #HealthInequalities #CommunityHealthcare #HeartHealth #PatientAdvocacy #NHSInnovation #HeartDisease #PopulationHealth #UKCharity #PublicHealth #Prevention #DigitalHealth #ChronicIllness

What happens when patient voice, professional education, and system change collide in a single room?

In this final episode of our four-part series, Nick Hartshorne-Evans and the team at the Pumping Marvellous Foundation explore what it really takes to shift heart failure care closer to home - and why building confidence in primary care could be one of the most important things we do for patients right now.

🎙️ Guests:

Gav: Diagnosed with heart failure at 55, two years post heart transplant, patient educator at the Pumping Marvellous Foundation

Dr. Sue Kemsley: GP in Cheshire, GPSI in Cardiology, Clinical Lead for Health Innovation Northwest Coast and the Northwest Coast Cardiac Network

Sarah Coburn: senior programme manager at Health Innovation Northwest Coast, leading a two-year heart failure programme. Sarah breaks down what the masterclass data revealed and why embedding learning into clinical practice is essential.

This episode asks the hardest question in health education: when does knowledge actually become action?

Chapters:

00:00 - Introduction & series overview

02:40 - Meet the guests: Liverpool Podcast Studios

05:08 - Why partner with a patient-led charity?

07:34 - The patient perspective: breaking stereotypes in the room

08:58 - Confidence as the missing ingredient in heart failure care

14:03 - When education creates a clinician who "doesn't fit"

23:23 - How Masterclasses support NHS workforce transformation

23:07 - What ICBs should prioritise — and why

26:44 - The groundswell model: change from the ground up

This is not just a podcast about education. It's about the missed moment - the overlooked symptom, the delayed diagnosis, the patient who visited their GP three times before someone considered heart failure. The Marvellous Masterclass was designed to close that gap, and this episode explores what we learned.

Whether you're a clinician, a commissioner, a patient, or a policymaker - this conversation is for you.

🔗 Resources & Links

• Pumping Marvellous Foundation: https://www.pumpingmarvellous.org

• Support our work: https://www.pumpingmarvellous.org/donate

• Health Innovation Northwest Coast: https://healthinnovationnwc.co.uk

The Pumping Marvellous Foundation is the UK's heart failure patient charity, created by patients for patients. We provide clear, compassionate information and advocacy to improve outcomes for people living with heart failure.

HeartFailure #HeartFailureAwareness #PrimaryCareCardiology #PumpingMarvellous #NHSEducation #HeartFailureUnfiltered #CardiovascularHealth #HealthcareInnovation #PatientVoice #WorkforceTransformation #ICB #IntegratedCare #GPTraining #HeartHealth #MarvellosMasterclass #ChronicIllness #NHSReform #HeartDisease #PatientEducation #HealthInnovation

What does it actually feel like to be discharged from hospital with heart failure and handed back to a GP who may never have managed the condition before?

In this episode of Heart Failure Unfiltered, Nick sits down with a GP specialist, a two-years post-transplant patient educator, and a patient trustee to explore one of the most consequential (and most overlooked) handovers in modern healthcare: the moment a heart failure patient returns to primary care.

This is episode three of a four-part series on the BEAT Masterclass: Heart failure and primary care - the moments that matter to the patient. If we don't equip our primary care workforce to detect, diagnose, and manage heart failure effectively, real patients pay the price. This conversation goes deep on what good looks like, what's going wrong, and what every clinician working in primary care needs to know.

🎙️ Guests:

Gav: Diagnosed with heart failure at 55, two years post heart transplant, patient educator at the Pumping Marvellous Foundation

Dr. Sue Kemsley: GP in Cheshire, GPSI in Cardiology, Clinical Lead for Health Innovation Northwest Coast and the Northwest Coast Cardiac Network

Corinne: Diagnosed with heart failure five years ago, four-year patient educator at the Pumping Marvellous Foundation, trustee

Key Terms & Concepts Discussed:

• NT-proBNP testing

• BEAT symptoms (Breathlessness, Exhaustion, Ankle swelling, and more)

• The four pillars of heart failure treatment + cardiac rehab as the fifth

• Long-term condition review in primary care

• Heart failure care plans and NICE guidelines (in place since 2018)

• Cardiac rehabilitation referral pathways

• Shared decision-making and patient self-management contracts

Chapters:

00:00 - Introduction: Heart failure, primary care & why it matters

01:37 - Meet the guests: Patient educators & a cardiology-specialist GP

02:37 - Why primary care shapes the entire heart failure experience

05:01 - The Marvellous Masterclass: What non-specialists actually took away

06:47 - Empathy at diagnosis — why the words "you have heart failure" change everything

09:21 - After discharge: The biggest clinical priorities when a patient returns to primary care

14:54 - The patient perspective: What "good" post-discharge care actually feels like

21:58 - Seeing heart failure through the patient's eyes — what would change?

30:01 - How do we scale this? The case for digital heart failure education

🏥 About the Pumping Marvellous Foundation

The Pumping Marvellous Foundation is the UK's heart failure patient charity. We produce patient-friendly resources designed by patients, support people newly diagnosed with heart failure, and work with clinicians, commissioners, and health innovation networks to improve care at every stage of the heart failure journey.

👉 Visit pumpingmarvellous.org to access free patient resources, make a donation, or find out how to get involved.

Even £5 can help us reach the next patient who needs support. Together, we can make sure no one faces heart failure alone.

📺 Subscribe for new episodes every week covering real-world heart failure care, patient stories, and clinical education.

💬 Leave a comment — we'd love to hear from clinicians and patients about your experience of heart failure in primary care.

🔔 Hit the bell so you never miss an episode of Heart Failure Unfiltered.

HeartFailure #PrimaryCare #HeartFailureAwareness #PumpingMarvellous #CardiacHealth #NTproBNP #HeartFailureEducation #GPEducation #CardiacRehab #LongTermConditions #HealthcareEducation #PatientExperience #HeartHealth #HeartFailureUnfiltered #CardiacNursing #GPTraining #ChronicIllness #HeartFailureDiagnosis #NHSPrimaryCare #PatientAdvocacy

Heart failure affects over a million people in the UK - yet most patients have never once thought to ask: "Could I have heart failure?" In this episode of Heart Failure Unfiltered, recorded live at Liverpool Podcast Studios, we dig deep into why primary care is the most powerful - and currently underleveraged - tool in the fight against heart failure.

Hosted by Nick Hartshorne-Evans, Founder & CEO of the Pumping Marvellous Foundation, this episode features an honest, unfiltered conversation with:

Dr. Sue Kemsley: GP, GPSI in Cardiology, Clinical Lead for Health Innovation Northwest Coast & the Northwest Coast Cardiac Network

Katie: Diagnosed with dilated cardiomyopathy at 25, now a patient educator with Pumping Marvellous

Gavin: Living with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy from birth, progressed to advanced heart failure, and now two years post-transplant

Together, they unpack the systemic gaps in detection and management, share powerful patient stories, and explore what it takes to genuinely transform primary care's role in heart failure outcomes.

Heart Failure Unfiltered is a podcast series by the Pumping Marvellous Foundation. This is Episode 2 of 4 of the BEAT Masterclass. Subscribe so you don't miss the rest of the series.

Chapters:

00:00 - What is this podcast series about?

00:20 - Why primary care holds the key to heart failure

01:40 - About Pumping Marvellous Foundation

02:36 - Introducing the guests: Katie, Dr. Sue Kemsley & Gavin

04:30 - Why breathlessness gets normalised & misdiagnosed

06:46 - Why primary care sits at the centre of diagnosis & management

08:30 - The Dr. Google problem & delayed GP access

14:10 - Has anyone ever asked "Do I have heart failure?"

15:30 - Shock of diagnosis: patients leaving hospital not knowing they had it

17:30 - Did the masterclasses build clinical confidence?

19:25 - Myth buster: breathlessness is NOT just ageing

19:45 - Clinical curiosity — is it taught or innate?

22:00 - How to do a thorough long-term condition review

24:30 - What does a good heart failure review actually look like?

31:22 - From hospital to home: navigating the handover gap

35:30 - Heart failure care plans — what should happen vs. reality

38:00 - What gave clinicians at the masterclass a new perspective?

42:00 - Student nurses inspired to move into cardiology

46:00 - What gives Dr. Sue Kemsley hope for the future?

48:30 - Generalist specialists & heart failure champions in every locality

53:00 - Patient educators: knowing what you know changes everything

56:10 - The tipping point: when will patients start asking about heart failure?

59:00 - How a hospital in Kilmarnock was plastered in heart failure awareness

01:01:00 - Closing reflections & what comes next

About the Pumping Marvellous Foundation

The Pumping Marvellous Foundation is the UK's heart failure patient charity — designed by patients, for patients. From clear, accessible information to peer-to-peer support and patient education programmes, they're on a mission to make sure no one faces heart failure alone.

👉 Visit: pumpingmarvellous.org

💛 Support us: Just £5 a month can help reach the next patient who needs us.

HeartFailure #PrimaryCare #HeartFailureAwareness #PumpingMarvellous #HeartHealth #GPEducation #CardiacCare #NTproBNP #HeartFailureUnfiltered #PatientEducation #ChronicIllness #Cardiology #MarvellosMasterclass #HealthcareEducation #HeartFailureDiagnosis #UKHealth #PatientAdvocacy #SelfManagement #LongTermConditions #HeartFailureSupport

Heart failure affects over 900,000 people in the UK, yet it remains one of the most underdiagnosed conditions in primary care. Too many patients are only identified after a hospital admission - often following months or years of missed opportunities. This episode asks a simple but urgent question: why aren't we catching it sooner?

In this episode of Heart Failure Unfiltered, Nick Hartshorne-Evans, founder and CEO of the Pumping Marvellous Foundation - the UK's leading heart failure patient charity - sits down with three experts at the heart of a groundbreaking education initiative. Together, they explore what happened when the Pumping Marvellous Foundation partnered with Health Innovation Northwest Coast to deliver the Marvellous Masterclass - a series of education events designed to upskill over 170 non-specialist clinicians in heart failure awareness, detection, and management.

You'll learn:

- Why heart failure is so frequently missed in primary care - and the clinical, historical, and systemic reasons behind it

- How the BEAT acronym (Breathlessness, Exhaustion, Ankle swelling, Time for an NT-proBNP) gives clinicians a simple, actionable framework for recognising symptoms

- Why NT-proBNP should be the first-line diagnostic step - and why confusion around diagnostic pathways has led to widespread inconsistency

- What the Marvellous Masterclass events revealed about baseline knowledge levels among non-specialist clinicians — and why that finding matters

- How bringing patient educators into a clinical education setting transformed engagement and recall

- What a delayed diagnosis looks like from a patient's perspective — in this case, a respiratory arrest, three months in hospital, and a life that had to be rebuilt from the ground up

Meet the guests:

🎙 Katie: diagnosed with cardiomyopathy and heart failure at 25, Katie became a Pumping Marvellous patient educator and shares her experience of years of missed diagnoses before reaching crisis point.

🎙 Dr. Sue Kemsley: a GP with 30 years of experience, a GPSI in cardiology, and clinical lead roles at Health Innovation Northwest Coast and the Northwest Coast Cardiac Network. Sue brings essential perspective on how heart failure education has evolved — and where the gaps still exist.

🎙 Sarah Coburn: senior programme manager at Health Innovation Northwest Coast, leading a two-year heart failure programme. Sarah breaks down what the masterclass data revealed and why embedding learning into clinical practice is essential.

Key takeaways for clinicians:

Heart failure is treatable — but only if it's found. The evidence is clear: patients with undiagnosed heart failure are circulating through healthcare systems, often with multiple conditions, seeing various professionals, without anyone connecting the dots. This episode makes the case that upskilling the wider workforce — not just specialists — is one of the most impactful interventions we can make. A curious, open mind, a willingness to challenge your initial hypothesis, and knowledge of a few simple tools could be the difference between a patient being diagnosed early or arriving at A&E in crisis.

This is Episode 1 of a four-part series. Future episodes will continue to explore the question that runs through every conversation: beat the diagnosis.

🫀 Support patients living with heart failure: pumpingmarvellous.org

📩 Find out more about the Marvellous Masterclass and upcoming events at pumpingmarvellous.org

HeartFailure #HeartFailureAwareness #PumpingMarvellous #PrimaryCare #CardiovascularHealth #EarlyDiagnosis #NHSEducation #HeartHealth #GPTraining #PatientVoice #HeartFailureUnfiltered #MarvellousМастерclass #ChronicIllness #CardiacHealth #HealthInnovation #MedicalEducation #HeartFailureDiagnosis #BeatTheSymptoms #NTproBNP #HeartFailureUK

Heart failure doesn't look the way people think. And that's exactly the problem.

In this raw, deeply honest episode of Heart Failure Unfiltered, Nick Hartshorne-Evans sits down with Gavin and Julie Redhead — a heart failure patient and his registered carer - for part two of their conversation. What follows is one of the most human, unguarded accounts of what it truly means to live with heart failure, not just survive a diagnosis.

Gavin was diagnosed years before most people would expect to face this. Julie became his carer long before either of them were ready. Together, they pull back the curtain on what no one sees: the days you can't get out of bed, the social events you have to cancel at the last minute, the household jobs that quietly shift hands, the grief that never gets named, and the words that cut deepest - "But you look so well."

This isn't a clinical overview. This is the truth from both sides of the kitchen table.

In this episode:

00:00 - When heart failure enters your life

02:11 - The invisible illness nobody sees

03:26 - The 9-volt battery: understanding heart failure fatigue

07:00 - "But you look so well" — the words that sting

08:17 - When household roles are forced to change

14:16 - The blue badge moment & fighting your corner

15:56 - Losing control: the hardest thing about a diagnosis

19:14 - Turning diagnosis into purpose

19:14 - The grieving process carers don't talk about

28:15 - The shocking gender gap in heart failure engagement

32:40 - From can't breathe to walking a marathon

34:02 - The most important thing Gavin would say to another patient

35:17 - Closing Message

Resources:

🌐 Pumping Marvellous Foundation: www.pumpingmarvellous.org

💬 Peer support community: Search "Help for Hearts" on Facebook

💷 Support someone with heart failure today: [email protected] — £10 makes a difference

Heart Failure Unfiltered is produced by the Pumping Marvellous Foundation — the UK's heart failure charity. Our mission is to make sure no one faces heart failure alone.

#HeartFailure #HeartFailureAwareness #HeartFailureUnfiltered #PumpingMarvellous #InvisibleIllness #ChronicIllness #CarerSupport #HeartHealth #MensHealth #ChronicFatigue #HeartFailureLife #CarersUK #PatientStories #HeartDisease #LivingWithHeartFailure #MentalHealthMatters #InvisibleDisability #ChronicIllnessCommunity #HeartFailureCarer #YouLookSoWell

What really happens the moment you're told you have heart failure? Not the clinical version - the real one.

In this powerful episode of Heart Failure Unfiltered, Nick sits down with Gavin and Julie - a couple navigating life since Gavin's severe heart failure diagnosis in 2019. Gavin is a patient educator with the Pumping Marvellous Foundation and a long-term heart condition survivor. Julie is his wife, registered carer, and the person who held everything together when the world shifted.

Together, they share what no one tells you: the shock of the words "severe heart failure," being told to consider a heart transplant in under a minute, the referral that never arrived, the job that had to go, and the invisible weight carried by carers who are never asked how they're doing.

This is part one of a two-part series - raw, honest, and essential listening for patients, carers, and healthcare professionals alike.

In this episode:

00:00 — Welcome & what this series is about

00:43 — What is the Pumping Marvellous Foundation?

01:24 — Meet Gavin & Julie

02:39 — The moment Gavin couldn't breathe

03:45 — Calling the ambulance — and nearly not going

05:25 — Waiting overnight in A&E for answers

06:09 — The diagnosis delivered and gone in under a minute

09:22 — "You need to talk about a heart transplant"

11:32 — What patients actually need to hear at diagnosis

13:07 — The referral that was never made — self-advocacy in action

17:51 — Why heart failure support doesn't match cancer care

22:08 — The mental health impact: grief, isolation, and losing your future

25:29 — Forced into medical retirement — and fighting for it

28:27 — The carer no one checked in on

30:52 — Losing income, identity, and your social world

31:59 — Why "but you look so well" is its own kind of harm

32:16 — BEAT: why early detection changes everything

🫀 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.

🔗 Visit: www.pumpingmarvellous.org

💛 Donate £5 today and help someone feel less alone

#HeartFailure #HeartFailureAwareness #PumpingMarvellous #HeartFailureUnfiltered #CarerSupport #ChronicIllness #HeartHealth #PatientStories #HeartTransplant #MentalHealthAndHeartDisease #LivingWithHeartFailure #UKCharity #HeartFailurePatient #Cardiomyopathy #BEAT #EarlyDiagnosis #NHSPatients #HeartDisease #PatientAdvocacy #ChronicIllnessLife

Welcome to Heart Failure Unfiltered, a 3-part podcast series from the Pumping Marvellous Foundation — the UK’s heart failure charity.

In Episode 3: It’s the Heart That Talks, Nick Hartshorne-Evans is joined by Dr Fozia Ahmed, Consultant Cardiologist and patients to explore the future of heart failure care, where cardiac devices don’t just treat the heart… they help predict when it’s in trouble.

Because what if we could act before symptoms even begin?

❤️ Can Your Heart Tell Us It’s Struggling BeforeYou Feel It?

This episode explores how remote monitoring and technologies like TriageHF are changing the way we manage heart failure.

📡 Devices that continuously monitor what’s happening inside the body

📊 Data that can signal deterioration early

⚡ The potential to prevent hospital admissions before they happen

This isn’t science fiction.

It’s happening now.

🧠 What You’ll Learn

How cardiac devices collect and transmit data from inside the body

What remote monitoring actually means for people living with heart failure

What the TriageHF algorithm is — explained simply

What a “high-risk alert” looks like and how early it can detect deterioration

Whether this technology can reduce hospital admissions

What happens in the system when an alert is triggered

The balance between reassurance and anxiety for patients being monitored

The role of AI and predictive care in the future of heart failure

⚡ Why This Matters

Heart failure is one of the biggest pressures facing the NHS.

But what if:

We could detect deterioration earlier?

We could intervene before crisis?

We could shift from reactive care… to proactive care?

Remote monitoring has the potential to:

✔ Improve patient outcomes

✔ Reduce emergency admissions

✔ Support more personalised, connected care

But we’re not fully there yet.

🧭 The Bigger Questions

This episode doesn’t just explore technology — it challenges the system:

Are we using this innovation to its full potential?

What’s stopping wider adoption across the NHS?

How do we ensure this doesn’t widen health inequalities?

Could patients one day access and understand their own data in real time?

🎙️ Patient Voice Matters

How does it feel to be monitored remotely?

For some, it’s reassurance.

For others, it raises questions

This episode brings the patient voice into the future of care — because technology must work *for people*, not just the system.

🧠 Who This Episode Is For

People living with heart failure

Patients with ICD, CRT-P or CRT-D devices

Healthcare professionals and cardiology teams

NHS leaders and commissioners

Anyone interested in the future of digital health and AI in care

📣 About the Pumping Marvellous Foundation

We exist to make heart failure understandable, manageable,and less frightening. By amplifying patient voice and working alongside the NHS, we aim to improve outcomes, experience, and system change.

Visit https://pumpingmarvellous.org or https://beathf.org.uk for further information.

🔔 End of Series – Stay Connected

This is Episode 3 of our cardiac devices series.

👉 Episode 1: What are ICD, CRT-P & CRT-D?

👉 Episode 2: Life After the Implant

Subscribe for more honest, patient-led conversations about heart failure.

💬 Join the Conversation

Would you feel reassured being monitored remotely?

Or would it make you anxious?

Share your thoughts — your perspective matters.

Welcome to Heart Failure Unfiltered, a powerful podcast series from the Pumping Marvellous Foundation — the UK’s heart failure charity.

In Episode 2: Life After the Implant, Nick Hartshorne-Evans is joined by Dr Fozia Ahmed, Consultant Cardiologist and patients living with ICD and CRT devices to explore what happens after the procedure.

Because the real story doesn’t start in the theatre.It starts when you go home.

❤️ What Is Life Really Like After a Heart Device?

This episode goes beyond the clinical explanation and into the real, lived experience of life with a cardiac device.

💬 From the moment you leave hospital…
💬 To the fears, questions, and realities that follow…
💬 To finding your way back to “normal” — whatever that means.

🧠 What You’ll Learn

🎙️ Real Patient Voices

This is not theory.

You’ll hear honest, unfiltered experiences from people living with cardiac devices — sharing what surprised them, what challenged them, and what helped them move forward.

Because living with heart failure isn’t just physical.
It’s emotional, social, and deeply personal.

⚡ Why This Episode Matters

Too often, the focus is on the procedure — not the person.

But life after a cardiac device raises real questions:

This episode gives clarity, reassurance, and truth — from both clinical and patient perspectives.

🧠 Who This Episode Is For

📣 About the Pumping Marvellous Foundation

We exist to make heart failure understandable, manageable, and less frightening.

By amplifying patient voice and working alongside the NHS, we aim to improve outcomes and everyday life for people living with heart failure.

Visit https://pumpingmarvellous.org or https://beathf.org.uk for further information.

🔔 Follow the Series

This is Episode 2 of a 3-part series on cardiac devices.

👉 Episode 1: What are ICD, CRT-P & CRT-D?
👉 Episode 3:Talking about cardiac devices and their role in the management of heart failure?

Subscribe to stay informed, supported, and connected.

💬 Join the Conversation

Living with a cardiac device?
Waiting for one?

Share your experience or questions in the comments — your voice matters.

Welcome to Heart Failure Unfiltered, a powerful new 3-part podcast series from the Pumping Marvellous Foundation — the UK’s heart failure charity.

In this episode, Nick Hartshorne-Evans, Founder & CEO of the Pumping Marvellous Foundation, is joined by Dr Fozia Ahmed,Consultant Cardiologist, and patients living with cardiac devices to open up an honest, human conversation about heart failure treatment.

 This episode focuses on one big question:

What are ICDs, CRT-Ps and CRT-Ds — and why do some people with heart failure need them?

 What You’ll Learn

        What’s actually happening in the heart during heart failure

       When medication alone may not be enough

     What ICD, CRT-P and CRT-D devices do — explained simply

       The difference between these life-saving devices

     How devices help reduce risk and improve quality of life

       What it really feels like to be told you might need one

Real Patient Voices

This isn’t just clinical theory.

You’ll hear directly from people living with cardiac devices— their fears, their questions, and what they wish they’d known earlier.

Because heart failure isn’t just a diagnosis.

It’s a life lived day-to-day.

Why This Matters

Heart failure affects over a million people in the UK — yet many are diagnosed late.

Cardiac devices like ICDs and CRTs can:

        Prevent sudden cardiac death

        Improve heart function

     Transform quality of life

But too often, patients don’t fully understand theiroptions.

This podcast changes that.

Who This Episode Is For

    People living with heart failure

       Anyone told they may need a cardiac device

    Families and carers

     Healthcare professionals wanting a patient-firstperspective

      NHS leaders focused on improving cardiovascularoutcomes

About the Pumping Marvellous Foundation

Visit https://pumpingmarvellous.org or https://beathf.org.uk for further information.

We exist to make heart failure understandable, manageable,and less frightening.

Through education, community, and patient voice, we workalongside the NHS to improve outcomes and experience for people living with heart failure.

Subscribe to stay informed, empowered, and connected.

Join the Conversation

Have you been told you might need a device?

Living with an ICD or CRT?

Share your experience in the comments — your story helps others.