Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps his Department is taking to improve the medical care for patients suffering from heart disease.

The Cardiovascular Disease Outcomes Strategy, published in March 2013, sets out actions to improve outcomes for patients with cardiovascular disease, including heart disease.

The Strategy recommends that clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) use National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guidelines and NICE Quality Standards to help inform their commissioning intentions in this area. CCGs are being encouraged to implement the Strategy with the support of the 12 Strategic Clinical Networks.

In addition, in December 2013, NHS England published a web based resource, Our Ambition to Reduce Premature Mortality: A resource to support commissioners in setting a level of ambition¹, to support CCGs in reducing premature mortality and to inform production of their 2 and 5 year strategic plans for improving health outcomes in their own areas. The web based resource encompasses a range of evidence-based clinical interventions, many of which are linked to the actions in the Strategy.

NHS Improving Quality is also focussing its work on the major causes of premature death, including heart disease.