A UK industry group for manufacturers of cardiovascular technologies has called for a national cardiovascular disease (CVD) strategy.
The ABHI Cardiovascular Health Check report identifies four overarching recommendations that, if adopted, would see a renewed focus on cardiovascular disease that would help improve patient outcomes and benefit the NHS.
Cardiovascular Disease (CVD) is second only to cancer as the UK’s biggest killer, claiming the lives of around 160,000 citizens every year. It is responsible for one in four premature deaths, and an estimated 7.6 million people currently live with heart and circulatory diseases in the UK - a figure which continues to grow. In England alone, CVD-related healthcare costs £7.4 billion per year, with the annual costs to the wider economy estimated at £15.8 billion. Yet despite this, there is no national strategy for improving outcomes in CVD.
The ABHI Cardiovascular Group, which sits within the Association of British HealthTech Industries, the UK’s leading industry association for health technology, is made-up of companies that provide cardiovascular technologies. Its aim is to bring a high-level view of the impact of cardiovascular challenges to the NHS, and more widely to the UK population, in terms of welfare spending and the impact on the overall economy. Within the Health Check report the group calls for:
- The appointment of a national cardiovascular disease director with powers to join-up and direct the delivery of treatment with accountability and resource.
- The creation of a National Cardiovascular Disease Strategy.
- Ensuring the level of resource which is focussed on CVD matches the scale of the challenge.
- Investment in an NHS workforce which has the skills, training and knowledge to diagnose, treat and manage CVD.
Declan Dunphy, manager - commercial business EMEA Vascular Division, Cook Medical, chairs ABHI Cardiovascular.
Commenting on the report, he said: “A focussed, national strategy is needed to drive change, and the ABHI Cardiovascular Group, and the wider healthtech industry, stands ready to support this. We look forward to working with the clinical community, patient groups, NHS management and government to bring the recommendations in the Health Check report to life.”
The report is divided into six challenges; workforce awareness of patients and clinicians, detection and diagnosis, NHS capacity and recovery, patient pathways, technology assessment and implementation, with each challenge supported by specific recommendations to enhance services.
Chris Green MP, who supported the report’s launch via a round table with Parliamentarians, said: “This ABHI Cardiovascular Health Check Report has helped to bring a renewed focus to CVD, highlighting the important role medical technology can play in providing solutions to one of the NHS’s largest challenges. I welcome the report’s findings and look forward to working closely with all partners to help deliver its aims and improve the lives of patients and their families throughout the UK.”
Professor Denis Harkin, chair of medical professionalism at Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland, added: “I welcome the launch of the ABHI Cardiovascular Health Check Report – the report serves as a timely reminder of the role technology can play in supporting CVD patients throughout the UK.”
The full report will is accessible at: www.abhi.org.uk/resource-hub/file/13011.
