Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the research in the British Medical Journal by Stickels (et al.) entitled Aortic stenosis post-Covid-19: a mathematical model on waiting lists and mortality, published on 16 June 2022, and by Strange (et al.) entitled Uncovering the treatable burden of severe aortic stenosis in the UK, published on 26 January 2022, what steps his Department is taking to improve (a) detection rates, (b) diagnosis rates and (c) treatment capacity for heart valve disease, in the context of the epidemiology and risk of mortality of the disease.

We have committed £2.3 billion to launch at least 100 community diagnostic centres (CDCs) by 2024/25 to increase the volume of diagnostic activity and reduce patient waiting times. CDCs will support the earlier detection and diagnosis of cardiovascular disease, including physiological measurement tests such as echocardiography and electrocardiograms, pathology tests and computerised tomography and magnetic resonance imaging scans.

In addition, the National Health Service is investing in cardiac networks to support improvements in the patient pathway. These networks have been developed to take an evidenced based, clinically led, whole pathway approach to improvement from prevention, diagnosis, treatment and end of life care.