About
Rehabilitation EnAblement in CHronic Heart Failure
REACH-HF is a home-based cardiac rehabilitation programme designed to support people living with heart failure to manage their condition and live well.
REACH-HF was developed with people with heart failure, their family members and carers, and healthcare professionals. From the outset, the programme was co-designed to reflect the realities of everyday life with heart failure — recognising the importance of personalised support, confidence-building, and involvement of those close to the person.
The programme is underpinned by a strong evidence base. The original REACH-HF intervention was evaluated in a large NIHR-funded clinical trial, which demonstrated improvements in quality of life and self-care for people with heart failure. Since then, REACH-HF has continued to evolve, supported by ongoing research into how best to deliver high-quality, person-centred rehabilitation at scale.
To widen access and improve flexibility of delivery, REACH-HF was digitally adapted into D:REACH-HF, supported by funding from the British Heart Foundation. D:REACH-HF enables people to take part in structured cardiac rehabilitation from home, with remote support from trained healthcare professionals.
D:REACH-HF is currently recommended by NICE for use in the NHS, while further evidence is gathered on its long-term effectiveness. This reflects growing recognition of the need for accessible, home-based rehabilitation options for people living with heart failure.
Building on this work, we are currently culturally adapting D:REACH-HF to improve cultural inclusivity, working closely with patients and family members from British South Asian communities. This work is funded by the LEAP Digital Health Hub (South West) and is focused on ensuring the programme is meaningful, relevant, and acceptable across diverse cultural contexts.
Using D:REACH-HF in your service
If you are interested in using D:REACH-HF within your clinical service, or would like further information, please contact:
📧 Dr Samantha van Beurden - dreach-hf@exeter.ac.uk
📍 University of Exeter
Using REACH-HF in your service
REACH-HF (paper-based) and facilitator training are delivered by the Heart Manual Department at NHS Lothian.
👉 https://services.nhslothian.scot/theheartmanual/reachhf/
Research and evidence
Further details about the research, development, and evaluation of REACH-HF and D:REACH-HF can be found on our research website and in the published literature.