Improvements in the fight against the five big causes of death, including new plans to tackle cardiovascular diseases, could save 30,000 lives by 2020, according to the Health Secretary, Jeremy Hunt.
The mortality call to action outlines a move to cut avoidable deaths from the five major causes – cancer, heart, stroke, respiratory and liver disease – and to make England among the best in Europe. These conditions currently kill more than 150,000 people under 75 every year, with cardiovascular disease (CVD) representing about 30% of all deaths in 2011. Alongside this call to action, the Secretary of State has also published a cardiovascular disease outcomes strategy, which will support the NHS and local authorities in delivering improved outcomes for those with or at risk of CVD. Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt said: “Despite real progress in cutting deaths we remain a poor relative to our global cousins on many measures of health, something I want to change. For too long we have been lagging behind and I want the reformed health system to take up this challenge and turn this shocking underperformance around. “Today’s proposals for those with cardiovascular diseases will bring better care, longer and healthier lives and better patient experience – which we must all strive to deliver.” The CVD strategy builds on existing work and guidance and sets out ten key actions, including:
• Improving life-saving responses by working to train more people in using defibrillators or CPR – as part of a drive to provide better acute care and increase bystander intervention, which can double the chances of survival for someone having a heart attack.
• Offering tests to all family members of younger people dying suddenly from cardiac conditions – helping identify people at very high risk of inherited problems. It is estimated just 15% of those with some genetically high cholesterol have been diagnosed.
• Plans to end the disjointed treatment which sees some patients shunted between numerous consultants, doctors and services – treating CVD as a single family of diseases and providing access to specialist services, including seven days-a-week provision, can improve outcomes.
• Promoting NHS Health Checks to improve prevention and management of those at risk of CVD by targeting advice Getting all parts of the country to meet the performance levels of the best and support to areas where their use is patchy – for example, if all patients suffering from a transient ischaemic attack were treated as rapidly as those treated in the top 25% of hospitals, 540 strokes would be avoided each year, saving £4.5 m per year.
• Better detection and management of CVD risk factors such as atrial fibrillation (a condition which puts people at higher risk of stroke) could save 2,100 lives.
It is estimated that implementing NHS Health Checks across the whole country alone would detect more than 20,000 cases of diabetes and kidney disease – all of which contribute to further cardiovascular diseases. Today’s CVD report wants to see an end to variation which sees some areas offering the checks to more than 75% of eligible patients while others manage less than 50%.
