BBO Training

Course Overview

This two-day Introduction to Cardiovascular Disease (CVD) course is designed for healthcare professionals working in Primary Care who are developing their knowledge and confidence in structured cardiovascular reviews.

The programme provides a comprehensive and practical overview of cardiovascular conditions commonly managed in General Practice, including hypertension, coronary heart disease (CHD), heart failure, and stroke. Teaching is aligned with current NICE guidance, including NG136 (Hypertension), NG181 (Lipid Modification), and NG106 (Chronic Heart Failure).

Participants will develop the knowledge and skills required to conduct safe, structured annual reviews, assess cardiovascular risk, optimise pharmacological therapy, and support patient-centred prevention strategies.

The course integrates primary and secondary prevention principles, supporting clinicians in delivering holistic, evidence-based cardiovascular care.

Who Should Attend

This course is suitable for:

• Practice Nurses
• Nurse Associates
• Nurse Practitioners and Advanced Clinical Practitioners
• Emergency Nurse Practitioners
• Paramedics working in Primary Care
• Primary Care Pharmacists

No prior advanced cardiovascular training is required.

What This Course Covers

Day One – Cardiovascular Risk and Primary Prevention

• Pathophysiology of cardiovascular disease
• Screening and early identification
• QRISK3 assessment and interpretation
• Communicating cardiovascular risk
• Lifestyle interventions:
  • Healthy eating
  • Weight management (NICE PH25)
  • Physical activity
• Hypertension management (NICE NG136):
  • Diagnosis and confirmation
  • Treatment thresholds and targets
  • Antihypertensive medications
  • Assessing target organ damage
• Lipid modification (NICE NG181):
  • Understanding lipid profiles
  • Statins and non-statin therapies
  • Primary vs secondary prevention
• Case-based discussion

Day Two – Secondary Prevention and Long-Term Management

• Heart Failure (NICE NG106):
  • Types of heart failure
  • Performing a safe annual review
  • Medicines optimisation
  • Monitoring and escalation
• Coronary Heart Disease (CHD):
  • Structured annual review
  • Assessment of angina
  • Secondary prevention strategies
• Stroke and TIA:
  • Secondary prevention
  • Blood pressure and lipid optimisation
  • Long-term complication management
• Multimorbidity and polypharmacy considerations
• Referral pathways and multidisciplinary care
• Case-based group discussion

Learning Outcomes

By the end of this course, participants will be able to:

• Describe the basic pathophysiology of cardiovascular disease
• Perform structured QRISK assessments and discuss modifiable risk factors
• Apply NICE guidance in hypertension and lipid management
• Understand blood pressure and cholesterol targets in primary and secondary prevention
• Conduct safe annual reviews for heart failure, CHD and stroke
• Recognise complications and red flags requiring escalation
• Optimise pharmacological therapy within Primary Care scope
• Signpost and refer appropriately
• Develop structured self-management and care plans

Course Format

Duration: Two full days

Delivery: Virtual (Zoom) or face-to-face

Format includes:

• Structured teaching
• Case-based discussion
• Practical guideline application
• Interactive clinical scenarios
• Peer learning and discussion

Certification

Certificate of attendance provided for CPD and revalidation purposes.