Looking ahead to pan-African cardiologist Task Force visit to University’s heart failure service

We are looking forward to welcoming a group of visiting cardiologists from across Africa, as part of a Heart Failure CPD programme funded by The Pan African Society of Cardiology (PASCAR).

Africa suffers with a double burden of disease. The persistence of communicable diseases, coupled with rising instances of noncommunicable diseases (especially cardiovascular disease) is a significant risk to health.

PASCAR’s Heart Failure Task Force in association with Cardiff University have established an ‘Africa Heart Failure’ CPD course, aimed at upskilling practicing cardiologists, internists, and allied health care professionals to develop services and raise awareness of heart failure management.

The University’s School of Medicine, supported by the CPD Unit, are working with PASCAR on a bespoke CPD programme to help inform the development of the Africa Heart Failure course. The programme includes a 1 week visit to the Heart Failure Centre at University of Wales Hospital. This visit was originally intended to take place in 2021 but had to be postponed due to Covid, although online distance learning activities were able to continue. We are thrilled that delegates are now able to travel to Cardiff and we’re excited to introduce them to the organisational set-up, care pathways, multi-disciplinary team-working, and integration with research activities of a ‘mature’ Heart Failure Centre.

Visiting delegates will immerse themselves in all aspects of heart failure care, including community-based, nurse-led, and cardiac physiologist-led clinics, imaging (echo, cardiac MRI, cardiac CT and PET), cardiac device implants and follow-up, cardio-genetic meetings, specialist heart failure clinics, in-patient acute heart failure, and supportive/end-of-life care.

Learning will be delivered via a combination of observational sessions, workshops, seminars, and role-play in areas such as communication skills and end-of-life care discussions.

The group will arrive in Cardiff on 7 August, and we’ll share more details of their trip when they arrive.

If you are interested in developing a bespoke professional development programme with the University, please get in touch with our friendly team for an initial chat: