New plan to prevent cardiovascular disease could mean more than 1000 fewer heart attacks and strokes in Wales, as well as millions in savings for the NHS
Identifying and treating up to 70,000 more people in Wales who have high blood pressure will prevent more than 1,000 heart attacks and strokes and save nearly £18m for the NHS and social care sector in Wales over three years.
That’s according to a new plan from Public Health Wales and its partners, which looks at the impact that preventing cardiovascular disease (CVD) will have on both individuals and their families - as well as the NHS budget.
The plan, ‘Cardiovascular Disease Prevention Plan for Wales: An ABCD Plus Approach’ , uses modelling data to demonstrate the huge potential benefits of supporting as many people as possible with their CVD risk factors, including managing their blood pressure and cholesterol, their risk of developing diabetes, their weight, and supporting them to stop smoking as needed.
It demonstrates that if around 17,000 patients were supported to bring their blood pressure under control, then 102 heart attacks and 152 strokes would be prevented. However if around 70,000 more patients could have their blood pressure controlled, then it would avoid 419 heart attacks and 626 strokes.
Cardiovascular disease describes a range of conditions which affect the heart and blood vessels, which can lead to serious and life-threatening consequences like heart attacks and strokes. CVD causes 27 per cent of all deaths in Wales, as well as disabilities like paralysis, dementia and reduced mobility, and is a huge financial burden on society, costing the NHS in Wales £770 million a year.
CVD is also one of the largest contributors to health inequalities in Wales, with wide disparities in outcomes between socioeconomic groups. People in the most deprived areas of Wales are more likely to have a risk factor such as high blood pressure, and are therefore more likely to have a heart attack or stroke, resulting in hospitalisation and death.
But it doesn’t have to be like this. As much as 80 per cent of early deaths from CVD are preventable, and small changes can create a much healthier way of life – like improving your diet, being more active, stopping smoking and reducing alcohol consumption. In addition, Chief Medical Officers across the UK support the use of ‘secondary prevention’ of CVD – that is, spotting risk factors early in patients and as well as offering risk-based advice for individuals, prescribing statins and blood pressure reduction medication. Taking these actions will reduce the chances of developing potentially life-changing and life-threatening CVD conditions.
This ambition goes hand in hand with strengthening primary care in Wales, so more people can be supported to have their risk factors detected and treated early, helping them live healthier lives.
Dr Amrita Jesurasa, Consultant in Public Health for Public Health Wales, said:
“Our new prevention plan puts the person at the centre of their care, recognising that people are likely to have more than one cardiovascular risk. For example, if someone has high blood pressure, healthcare providers need to be able to take every opportunity to also manage the person’s cholesterol, their risk of developing diabetes, their weight, and support them to stop smoking as needed.
“In addition, it will reduce the financial burden of heart attacks and strokes – CVD costs the overall Welsh economy up to £1.6billion every year in premature death, disability, and long-term care, so it’s in everyone’s interest to do everything we can to help people to live longer, healthier lives and reduce these costs to the economy.
“By preventing CVD we will also make big strides in reducing health inequalities in Wales as well, as the prevalence of CVD is significantly higher in the most deprived areas, and causes more severe outcomes including hospitalisations and fatalities.
“It’s an opportunity that can’t be missed.”
Dr Jonathan Goodfellow, National Clinical Lead, Wales Cardiovascular Disease Network, said:
“Wales faces a significant health challenge, the growing burden of cardiovascular disease (CVD), which particularly affects the most deprived communities and drives health inequalities.
“A focus on prevention is urgently needed, targeting the most deprived populations and those most at risk of CVD, to improve quality of life and reduce the burden of CVD disease on our NHS.
"The development of the CVD Prevention Plan for Wales is a product of collaboration between partners across NHS Wales and the third sector, and it will enable us to address this challenge together."
The report can be found here.
Cardiovascular Disease Prevention Plan for Wales: An ABCD Plus Approach
For further details on CVD and its risks, you can visit:
NHS: https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/cardiovascular-disease/
The British Heart foundation: https://www.bhf.org.uk/informationsupport/conditions/cardiovascular-disease
Diabetes UK: https://www.diabetes.org.uk/about-diabetes/looking-after-diabetes/complications/cardiovascular-disease