Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of how breathlessness clinics will support the (a) the detection of and (b) referral into CDCs for diagnosis of heart valve disease.

People with heart failure will be supported by multi-disciplinary teams in Primary Care Networks and greater access to echocardiography within community diagnostic centres (CDCs). This will improve the investigation of those with breathlessness and the early detection of heart failure and heart valve disease. NHS England is working with the British Heart Foundation to raise awareness of heart valve disease to ensure earlier diagnosis, enable patients to receive treatment and prevent avoidable deaths.

We have committed £2.3 billion to launch at least 100 CDCs by 2024/25, increase the volume of diagnostic activity and further reduce waiting times for patients with cardiovascular disease. In addition, the National Health Service is investing in cardiac networks to support whole pathway improvements. These networks have been developed to take an evidenced based, clinically led, whole pathway approach to improvement from prevention, diagnosis, treatment to end of life care.