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The government has launched a new taskforce which aims to reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease, which accounts for up to 250,000 hospital admissions and around 140,000 deaths in England each year.
Professor John Deanfield will lead the taskforce, with the government appointing him as the first ever Government Champion for Personalised Prevention.
Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, Steve Barclay, says the taskforce will help to reduce the burden of cardiovascular disease on the general population as well as reducing pressure on the NHS.
Around eight in 10 cases of cardiovascular disease can be attributed to modifiable risk factors such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol, obesity, poor diet and smoking. These key risk factors are also associated with a range of other major health conditions, such as type 2 diabetes, cancer and types of dementia.
Prevention is therefore key to reducing rates of cardiovascular disease and alleviating pressure on the NHS.
What will the new cardiovascular taskforce do?
Professor Deanfield is expected to lead the taskforce for at least six months. He will then put forward a series of recommendations to the government, such as:
- Identifying new ways of predicting, preventing, diagnosing and treating major risk factors for cardiovascular disease
- Advising how individuals, businesses and public services could be incentivised to support prevention outside of the NHS
- Creating new partnerships to innovate the way in which we deliver preventative services, bringing care closer to home and communities
- Identifying how this vision for cardiovascular disease prevention might impact on conditions with shared risk factors.
The taskforce will be comprised of experts on health policy, health technology, behavioural science, big data and health economics.
It will develop a set of evidence-based recommendations to deliver a vision for a modern, personalised cardiovascular disease prevention service.
Together, the panel of experts will explore a range of ideas, including the use of personalised data to better predict and prevent ill health. They’ll also look at how the latest health technology could be used to predict, prevent, diagnose and treat key risk factors for cardiovascular disease and other health conditions.
A radical rethink
Government Champion for Personalised Prevention, Professor John Deanfield, CBE, said: “I am thrilled to continue my work with the government on cardiovascular disease prevention. This appointment provides a real opportunity to radically rethink our approach to cardiovascular health and disease prevention and I’m confident we have the right people around the table to do this.
“We intend to build on my recent review of the NHS Health Check and evolve this vision into an ongoing, life-long programme that empowers people to take control of predicting, managing and reducing their lifetime cardiovascular risk.”
The British Heart Foundation has welcomed the government’s commitment to preventing cardiovascular disease.
“Tackling cardiovascular disease is one of the best opportunities to save the most lives, as the NHS Long Term Plan makes clear,” said Professor Sir Nilesh Samani, Medical Director at the British Heart Foundation.
“This important role could help to unlock innovative new ways to keep people healthy for longer and help to reduce pressure on the NHS at the same time. We are looking forward to working with Professor Deanfield in his new post.”