New AI heart failure screening tool could save lives, cut hospital waiting lists and deliver major NHS cost savings

Scientists at Queen Mary University of London and Barts Health NHS Trust have invented an AI algorithm which could transform how heart failure is screened and diagnosed. East London, where both Queen Mary and Barts Health are based, has among the highest rates of heart and circulatory disease.

Known as iHeF (Intelligent Heart Evaluation Framework), the invention could save the NHS substantial sums each year by screening out patients who don't need scans. The technology could free up hospital diagnostic capacity, cut waiting times, and save lives by fast-tracking patients who need treatment.

The Queen Mary and Barts Health team have been awarded £1.3m by the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) Invention for Innovation (i4i) programme to develop the invention for use in the NHS to bring down waiting times.

The money will fund the testing needed to secure regulatory approval. The team will test iHeF against today’s gold standard approaches; work with patients, clinicians and technicians to optimise the design; and model what the overall health and economic impact could be. 

Queen Mary and the Life Sciences team at Barts Health will run a real‑world evaluation of how iHeF fits into NHS care, working with clinicians and patients to assess how clinicians use AI‑generated insights, how patients respond to AI‑supported diagnosis, and how well the tool fits existing NHS workflows.

The project is expected to last three years, so iHeF could be in clinical use by the end of 2028.

Dr Nay Aung, Clinical Senior Lecturer at Queen Mary University of London, Consultant Cardiologist at Barts Heart Centre, and the lead inventor of iHeF, said:

“Over a million people in Britain have heart failure and an estimated 400,000 more remain undiagnosed. Early diagnosis saves lives and improves outcomes. Our invention aims to reduce waiting times so patients can be screened and diagnosed sooner and create substantial efficiency savings for healthcare providers.” 

 

Diagnosing heart failure is expensive and slow

Over a million people in the UK suffer from heart failure, yet diagnosing it is expensive and slow. Doctors typically use an ultrasound test known as echocardiography, a complex process which requires specialised staff and can only be done in a hospital or specialised diagnostic centre.

The NHS performed over 1.8m echocardiograms in 2024/25, but the waiting list remains stubbornly high at around 150k patients. One in four waits over six weeks, one in ten waits over three months.

At the same time, only 25-30% of these echocardiograms produce clinically actionable findings. Many patients tested either don’t have heart failure or have minor cardiac abnormalities which do not necessarily need medical attention. Tests that turn out negative cost hundreds of millions annually, one analysis estimated total pathway costs at around £600m, and delay those who do have heart failure from getting the attention they need.

The problem is likely to get worse as the population ages, driving up demand for diagnostics.

 

iHeF will make screening cheaper, faster, earlier, and more precise.

iHeF can screen for heart failure from a routine Electrocardiogram (ECG) recording by detecting changes in the heart’s structure and pumping functions. ECG is far cheaper than an echocardiogram and is already done early on by clinical staff with minimal training, so the invention would not add any new steps to the current care pathway. The equipment is easy to use, so it doesn’t rely on highly specialised staff. Crucially, it can be done outside of a hospital, such as in GP clinics, Community Diagnostic Centres, or even in the home.

Colin Heath, a patient at Barts Health, said:  

“I believe using AI to help check heart tests could really cut waiting times, making care quicker and less stressful for people like me. I also think that research like this, using the right data, can make a real difference and may even help save more lives in the future.”