Actively Recruiting
Implementation Testing of the Heart Failure Carer Support Programme in the United Kingdom
Led by Queen's University, Belfast · Updated on 2026-06-02
360
Participants Needed
5
Research Sites
N/A
Total Duration
On this page
Sponsors
Q
Queen's University, Belfast
Lead Sponsor
B
Belfast Health and Social Care Trust
Collaborating Sponsor
AI-Summary
What this Trial Is About
Heart failure is a common condition in the United Kingdom, where many patients depend on family members or friends to help care for them. These caregivers often face challenges and stress due to their role, which can affect their own mental and physical health. The Heart Failure Carer Support Programme HELP is the first intervention developed in the UK to support these carers by helping them care for themselves and the patients they assist. The study aims to find the best way to provide HELP across the UK and measure its effects on both carers and patients. HELP is delivered by heart failure nurses to about 180 informal carers across three UK locations. The programme consists of six weekly online support group sessions lasting one hour each, led by specialist nurses via video calls. Carers also receive an educational booklet and access to a website for additional guidance. Patients supported by these carers, also around 180 individuals, will provide information to assess how HELP affects both carers and patients over time. Participants will provide information at different times before the programme starts, during the six weeks of HELP, immediately after finishing, and six months later. Researchers will collect data through interviews, logs, and questionnaires to understand how well HELP is delivered and what factors influence its success. They will also measure hospital admissions, doctor visits, and quality of life for patients, as well as burden, preparedness, and quality of life for carers. The study will last up to one year, including monitoring costs and long-term effects.
CONDITIONS
Brief Title
Heart Failure Carer Support Programme: Implementation Testing in the UK.
Who Can Participate
Eligibility Criteria
You may qualify if you...
- Carers aged 18 years or older
- Able to use digital devices, participate in conversations, and read written materials
- Providing regular unpaid care for a person with diagnosed heart failure who has symptoms or had a medical episode in the past 6 months
- Able to speak and understand English
- Patients aged 18 years or older
- Diagnosed with heart failure and receiving standard therapies
- Experiencing symptoms or had one episode of decompensation in the past 6 months
- Receiving regular unpaid support from a carer
- Able to engage in conversation and read written materials
- Able to speak and understand English
You will not qualify if you...
- Lacking capacity to give consent
- Under 18 years old
- Patients whose carer refused to participate in the programme
Research Team
G
Gareth Thompson, PhD
D
Donna Fitzsimons, PhD, RN
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