Chair: Helen Williams, National Specialty Adviser for CVD Prevention, NHSE & Consutant Pharmacist for CVD

Speaker: Liz Corteville, CVDPREVENT QI Lead, NHS Benchmarking Network

3 key takeaways:

  1. In the UK, atrial fibrillation (AF), high blood pressure (BP) and raised cholesterol levels are leading causes of heart attack and stroke, common conditions that account for a quarter of premature deaths and 25% of the life expectancy gap between most affluent and most deprived communities.
  2. The national CVDPREVENT audit shows that many people with CVD risk factors are not on optimal treatment and that there are significant inequalities between different demographic groups.
  3. Urgent action from the pharmacy profession is required to redress the current situation and save lives.

CVDPREVENT is a national primary care audit that automatically extracts routinely held GP data about the prevention of cardiovascular disease (CVD). In the UK, atrial fibrillation (AF), high blood pressure (BP) and raised cholesterol levels are leading causes of heart attack and stroke, common conditions that account for a quarter of premature deaths and 25% of the life expectancy gap between most affluent and most deprived communities.

Treatments to reduce stroke risk in AF, and lower BP and cholesterol are highly effective at preventing these life-changing events, reducing demand on hospital services, and reducing health and social care costs. Despite this, CVDPREVENT shows that many people with CVD risk factors are not on optimal treatment and that there are significant inequalities between different demographic groups. Urgent action from the pharmacy profession is required to redress the current situation and save lives.