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The AHSNs are delivering a national programme of work around Lipid Management and Familial Hypercholesterolaemia (FH) detection The aim of the programme is to improve patients care and outcomes by effectively identifying and treating patients with hypercholesterolaemia, including those with the genetic condition FH. (a specific type of high cholesterol that runs in families). A key ambition for the AHSN Network’s lipids programme is to ensure patients are prescribed the most appropriate medicine in a shared decision with their clinician.
The NHS Long Term Plan states that cardiovascular disease (CVD) is a leading cause of death in the UK and 85% of all CVD deaths are due to Myocardial Infarctions (heart attacks) or strokes. Healthcare costs relating to CVD are estimated at £9 billion. Overall CVD costs the UK economy £19 billion each year. More than 100,000 hospital admissions in the UK are due to heart attacks – that is one admission every 5 minutes.
The national lipid management and FH programme aims to deliver against the NHS Long Term Plan (LTP) ambitions of preventing 150,000 vascular events by improving detection and management of CVD risk factors, in particular high cholesterol.
The EMAHSN lipid management and FH programme will work with NHS Trusts and Primary Care Services across the East Midlands to improve the offer to people with known or previously unknown high risk of cardiovascular disease. Specifically, it will aim to accelerate the identification of those with FH and facilitate optimised management of individuals with high lipid levels. This includes using innovative approaches to supplement current clinical assessment processes, underpinned by changes in pathways, and data collection.
The medicines part of this pathway could include:
Integral to the success of the programme is the methodical application of NICE guidelines (CG71) as well as the national guidance for lipid management in relation to primary and secondary prevention of CVD. Imperative to both of these guidelines is the strong case for case finding and diagnosis, identifying people with FH using cascade testing as well as meeting the needs of patients and clinicians.
Success of the programme will depend both on opportunistic and systematic case finding of eligible patients and robust primary and secondary CVD prevention pathway implementation - all seeking to optimise patient lipid management regardless of which setting their care is delivered in.
The outcomes we expect to see are:
Impacts and findings will be published when available.
For more information about the Lipid Management and FH programme email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
EMAHSN Lipid Management and Familial Hypercholesterolaemia webinar, July 2022
To support GP practices to meet 23/24 QOF cholesterol targets, Professor Ahmet Fuat, GPSI in Cardiology, explains how practices can treat patients in the secondary prevention of cardiovascular disease (CVD).