As part of the development process, the NCC-CC was keen to ensure that the guideline development process was informed by the views of patients with heart failure and their carers.

This was achieved in two ways:

• by securing patient organisation representation on the guideline development group
• by carrying out a focus group to ensure that the views of people directly affected by heart failure informed the development of the guideline.

Patient representatives from the Cardiomyopathy Association and the British Heart Foundation were members of the GDG. They were therefore involved at every stage of the guideline development process and were able to consult with their wider constituencies throughout the process.