Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the prognosis of patients with untreated severe aortic stenosis; and if his Department will undertake an assessment of the potential merits of implementing a referral to treatment pathway to accelerate care for those patients as exists for people with cancer.

If untreated, aortic stenosis usually deteriorates, leading to a narrowing of the heart valve. Adults in need of an aortic valve replacement who are unsuited to heart valve surgery may be offered a transcatheter aortic valve implantation, which involves a valve implanted into the heart to treat aortic stenosis.

We have committed £2.3 billion to open at least 100 community diagnostic centres  by 2024/25 to improve the early detection and diagnosis of heart valve disease in England. In addition, the National Health Service is investing in cardiac networks to support whole pathway improvements. These networks have been developed to improve the care pathway from prevention, diagnosis, treatment to end of life care.