Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the findings of the Stickels, June 2022 BMJ paper on recovering aortic stenosis waiting lists, whether his Department has plans to use those findings to inform best practice guidance on reducing mortality from that disease.

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) makes recommendations on interventions for aortic stenosis in its guideline ‘Heart valve disease presenting in adults: investigation and management’. It has no current plans to review or update this guideline. For adults unsuited to heart valve surgery, NHS England recommends transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) to treat aortic stenosis.

We have committed £2.3 billion to launch at least 100 community diagnostic centres by 2024/25 to increase diagnostic activity and reduce waiting times for patients with heart valve disease, such as aortic stenosis. In addition, the National Health Service is investing in cardiac networks to support whole pathway improvements. These networks have been developed to take an evidence based, clinically led, whole pathway approach to improving prevention, diagnosis, treatment and end of life care.