Overview
In 2015 HPP founded the HFPN, an independent, multi-funded group that provides critical assets to heart failure advocates, accelerates peer learning in system leadership, and catalyses senior decision-maker engagements. HPP acts as Secretariat to the HFPN.
Nick Hartshorne-Evans, CEO, Pumping Marvellous Foundation
The challenge
Heart failure is a highly prevalent and costly condition with a huge impact on mortality, disability and quality of life. But the condition lacks a global or European NGO and, in many countries, dedicated advocacy groups are still nascent.
Decision-maker awareness of heart failure – both as a preventable and manageable condition, and as a leading cause of avoidable hospital admissions – is low. Best-practice case studies are isolated, and unmet needs, inequalities and system barriers often go unchallenged.
To address this, HPP has acted as Secretariat for the HFPN since 2015, providing critical assets to advocates, convening change leaders, and catalysing senior decision-maker engagements.
What we achieved
The HFPN has directly and indirectly supported countless decision-maker engagements in Europe and around the world:
- At the EU level, the HFPN’s European Heart Failure Mission continues to be the primary voice and coordinator of the heart failure community, for example securing the inclusion of heart failure in the EU Safe Hearts Plan, which was published in December 2025.
- Our support for national advocacy campaigns has helped secure reimbursement of guideline-based diagnostics in the community setting in Greece and Portugal.
- A Spanish translation of the HFPN’s Handbook of multidisciplinary and integrated heart failure care was a centerpiece for the Spanish HFA’s successful representation to the National Cardiovascular Strategy (2019–2022), and its inclusion of a robust, dedicated and indicator-driven chapter on heart failure as one of the major pillars of cardiovascular health.
- In England, approaches to the Department of Health helped secure the inclusion of HF in the NHS Long Term Plan (2019–2029).
- In Germany, the HFPN has been a central partner to NGO Herzschwache Deutschland and its path to federal-level advocacy.
- In Canada, HFPN materials inspired Heart Life Canada to develop a national heart failure policy framework and drive provincial legislation to establish awareness days.
- In Ireland, the HFPN and its members secured the first dedicated address by a serving Prime Minister on heart failure.
Project information
The Heart Failure Policy Network is an independent, multidisciplinary platform made possible with financial support from AstraZeneca, Bayer and Roche Diagnostics. The content produced by the Network is not biased toward any specific treatment or therapy. All outputs are guided and endorsed by the Network’s members. All members provide their time for free. The Network is hosted by The Health Policy Partnership. EU Transparency Register ID: 223430420230-66. For more information, please see the project page.
Get in touch
If you want to find out more about our work in cardiovascular health, heart failure or the HFPN, contact Ed Harding, Founder.
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