Action on heart disease ‘vital’ declares Jim Fitzpatrick
Jim Fitzpatrick Member of Parliament for Poplar and Limehouse, attended a Heart Valve Voice Parliamentary reception today to launch a new report by the charity which sets out a 2020 vision for tackling heart valve disease in the UK. Parliamentarians were joined at the charity’s event by patients, leading clinicians and senior NHS leaders including Professor Huon Gray, the National Clinical Director for Heart Disease.
Heart Valve Voice’s report, Towards a Heart Healthy Future, brings together a range of new evidence and data on heart valve disease and highlights the significant under-diagnosis and under-treatment of the condition and the variation in access to services which exists for patients in different parts of the country.
Event attendees heard from leading experts about the importance of improving outcomes for heart valve disease patients, including tackling the low diagnosis and treatment rates in the UK. They also found out about the report recommendations which the charity says are key if patient outcomes are to be improved and if the UK is to be brought into line with other comparable countries in terms of access to services and timely and effective treatment.
Commenting on the event Jim Fitzpatrick said:
“I was pleased to attend the launch of the Heart Valve Voice report “Towards a Heart Healthy Future: A 2020 Vision for Heart Valve Disease” in the House of Commons today. The number of people with heart valve disease in the UK is increasing but many people are not being diagnosed early enough, when treatment could mean they return to a normal life expectancy.
“Given the UK’s ageing population it is vital that the variation in access to heart valve disease services and treatment is addressed to improve patient outcomes but also to ensure longer-term savings for the NHS.”
Heart Valve Voice Chief Executive Wil Woan added:
“For too long now heart valve disease has not received the prioritisation it deserves. Whilst we have seen significant progress in the treatment and management of other cardiovascular conditions in the UK in recent years, this sadly has not been the case for heart valve disease.”
“We were delighted to have Jim at the launch of our latest report in Parliament today. We look forwarding to continuing to work together to see the recommendations in the report implemented in order to improve the diagnosis, treatment and care of heart valve disease patients across the UK.”