Cardiovascular disease prevention

Our work aims to help prevent 150,000 heart attacks, strokes and cases of dementia over the next 10 years, through the early detection and management of atrial fibrillation, high blood pressure and high cholesterol. UCLPartners has a long history of improving detection and management of AF.

Preventing heart attacks and strokes at scale could save thousands of lives. Cardiovascular related diseases currently account for 25 per cent of deaths under the age of 75 and contribute to major health inequalities. We are working closely with our partners to drive system level action and transform the care pathway.

We are working with acute trusts, and primary and community care teams on:

Proactive care

• Building on our work in proactive long-term condition (LTC) management to optimise care in the high-risk conditions for cardiovascular disease: hypertension, atrial fibrillation, lipid management and diabetes. 

Transforming CVD prevention

• By using the Proactive Care Frameworks to help PCNs implement the hypertension framework with the aim to prevent heart attacks, strokes, and vascular dementia in patients with hypertension in the Blood Pressure Optimisation Programme.

Improving outcomes for people with high cholesterol

• Through our Proactive Care programme, we are supporting patients with high cholesterol to have this well controlled
• In addition to the Proactive Care programme, we are supporting collaborations across primary and secondary care to identify and support patients with high cholesterol using the specialist expertise of secondary care pharmacy teams
• We are collaborating with North Thames Genomic Medicine Service Alliance to implement a pilot programme with a few Primary Care Networks to identify patients with familial hypercholesterolaemia and provide them with appropriate care

Making every contact count

• Optimise detection and treatment of high blood pressure in NHS staff. Statistics show that one in eight staff will have undiagnosed or poorly controlled hypertension and at scale, optimisation will help to prevent significant numbers of heart attacks and strokes.

Improving outcomes for people with serious mental illness

• People with serious mental illness die 10-20 years earlier than people without serious mental illness. This premature mortality is driven by an excess of high impact, highly modifiable risk factors such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and smoking that cause cardiovascular and other conditions. Optimal management of these risk factors substantially reduces risk of cardiovascular and other conditions.
• PRIMROSE was a national NIHR evaluated HCA/nurse led intervention offering flexible appointments plus behaviour change techniques to address cholesterol, smoking, weight and blood pressure in patients with SMI. The evaluation demonstrated a significant reduction in number and cost of mental health inpatient stays and a significant reduction in total health-care costs in the intervention group.
• PRIMROSE-A incorporated the learnings from PRIMROSE, with enhanced focus on support for medication adherence and use of peer support workers. PRIMROSE-A is now being delivered across parts of north central London (Camden and Islington) with small amount of HEE funding.
• We are working in collaboration with our mental health colleagues to develop an adapted version of the Primrose-A model that draws on the long-term condition management element of our Proactive Care Frameworks.