The new CVD framework sets the prevention ambition. CVDACTION delivers it.

The NHS Cardiovascular Disease Modern Service Framework (MSF), published this week, sets out a strategic vision to prevent thousands of heart attacks, strokes and other serious cardiovascular-kidney-metabolic (CVKM) conditions and to fundamentally change outcomes for patients who have for too long been missed by the system.

Cardiovascular disease is responsible for 33,000 early deaths every year, is a major driver of health inequalities and costs the health system an estimated £12 billion each year. Building on the recently published 10-year plan for the NHS in England, the framework is a clear signal that the government and NHS are serious about changing these outcomes.

At Into-Action.Health, we are proud to have contributed to shaping this framework. Our smart data platform CVDACTION has shown that step change improvement in CVD prevention is feasible. Our economic modelling, Powering the Prevention Shift, is at the heart of the MSF and is cited in the Executive Summary. The modelling lays out the huge potential to rapidly reduce NHS demand, generate savings and benefit the economy. It also underpins the framework’s 6 Immediate Priorities for CVD prevention and 4 wider actions. Realistic improvement rates in treatment for blood pressure, cholesterol, diabetes and chronic kidney disease across England could avoid almost 60,000 serious cardiovascular events within three years, including 9,400 heart attacks and 17,000 strokes. This would free up 430,000 bed days (that’s 2 hospitals emptied for a year), save £1.1 billion savings in health and social care costs and generate £1.2 billion for the wider economy in just 3 years, with a return of more than £14 for every £1 spent. ICBs break even within 12 months.

Today’s framework sets the direction. The time for change is now.

"I welcome this week’s publication of the Cardiovascular Disease Modern Service Framework. Every year in England, tens of thousands of people suffer avoidable heart attacks, strokes, and other serious CKM conditions, not because we lack the treatments, but because many patients don’t receive them. The solution is clear: make it routine to identify all high risk patients who are not on recommended therapy and enable primary care and neighbourhood teams to adapt pathways so they can optimise at scale and within capacity. The time to act is now.

CVDACTION has been designed for this purpose, focusing on MSFs 6 immediate priorities for prevention and the 4 wider actions and making it easy to take action to improve care and to target health inequalities. Through our partnership with IQVIA we provide GP teams with structured support to deliver step change improvement.

We stand ready to work with our NHS partners, commissioners and clinical networks to turn the ambitions of this framework into rapid improvements for patients."

Dr Matt Kearney OBE, Co-Founder and CEO, Into-Action.Health

"CVDACTION is an invaluable tool for quickly and clearly risk-stratifying patients. As a GP responsible for population health management in an area with high levels of health inequalities, I’ve found CVDACTION particularly intuitive and easy to embed into day-to-day operational delivery in Primary care. Its clarity and usability make it a powerful asset in improving outcomes for patients who are at high risk of adverse events through undertreatment of cardiovascular disease.”

Dr Farwa Hasan, GP Partner and Clinical Director, West Wandsworth PCN 

“Optimising cardiovascular prevention is key to turbocharging the country’s health as well as the wider economy.... Smart tools like CVDACTION can help doctors identify more people at highest risk of heart attack, stroke, and, importantly, target support to patients whose background or circumstances could mean that they are more at risk or less likely to receive treatment. This is the kind of innovation that could help to drive much-needed huge improvements in the prevention of cardiovascular disease.

Professor Bryan Williams, Chair of Medicine at University College London and Chief Scientific[ and Medical Officer at the British Heart Foundation

If you’re interested in learning more about how CVDACTION can work in your GP practice or primary care network, get in touch today.