Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many new patients have been (a) detected with atrial fibrillation and (b) treated with an appropriate NICE recommended treatment, since the introduction of the NHS Framework Agreement on Direct Oral Anticoagulants in January 2022.

Information on the number of new patients detected with atrial fibrillation is not collected in the format requested. As of October 2022, 126,000 patients on general practitioner practice atrial fibrillation registers who were eligible for anticoagulation received treatment. The proportion of patients treated with anticoagulation increased by 3% from April to October 2022.

An annual evaluation of the National Health Service commissioning guidance and framework agreement for anticoagulation will be made in the first quarter of 2023/24 when the relevant prescribing and performance data is finalised.