Evaluating the effect of setting up a nurse-led heart failure service.

In the UK 880,000 people have definite or probable chronic heart failure with 63,000 new cases being identified each year (Department of Health, 2003). Heart failure and its management have become a national and governmental priority. A specialist nurse was recruited to establish and manage a nurse-led service for this client group. This article outlines the development of this service and evaluates its performance.