Cardiovascular disease
Supporting the health and care system with the prevention and management of cardiovascular disease
to date
Improved prescribing across all four pillars in Somerset – Heart Failure Champions
Hundreds of patients in Cornwall’s deprived communities have received optimised treatment to prevent heart attacks and strokes – Blood Pressure Optimisation
Optimised lipid management for hundreds of patients across Devon and Somerset – Lipid Management & Familial Hypercholesterolaemia
The challenge
Cardiovascular disease (CVD) prevention is a priority in the NHS 10 Year Plan.
There are over 7.6 million people living with heart and circulatory diseases in the UK. The British Heart Foundation forecasts that there could be 1 million more people living with heart and circulatory diseases in the UK by 2030, and 2 million more than today by 2040.
Heart and circulatory diseases cause around a quarter (26 per cent) of all deaths in the UK; that’s more than 170,000 deaths a year, or 480 each day – one every three minutes.
Healthcare costs relating to heart and circulatory diseases are estimated at £12 billion each year. CVD’s cost to the UK economy (including premature death, long-term care, disability and informal costs) is estimated to be £28 billion each year.
The solution
We are delivering the following programmes and projects to support the health and care system with the prevention and management of cardiovascular disease – focusing on heart failure and hypertension.
National Heart Failure Programme – Heart Failure Champions
In 2025/26, Somerset Integrated Care System (ICS) and Health Innovation South West delivered the Heart Failure Champion Programme to test whether an incentivised, clinically–led, primary care network (PCN) based model could strengthen heart failure management.
National Heart Failure Programme – Heart failure and Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD)
In 2025-26 we initiated a programme of work targeting chronic kidney disease detection and management in Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly. Visit our webpage for our continuing work on this programme through 2026-27.
Previous programmes
We have delivered the following two programmes:
- Lipid Management and Familial Hypercholesterolaemia (2024-26) – supporting primary care in Devon and Somerset to optimise lipid management pathways
- Blood Pressure Optimisation (2024-25) – a proactive approach to cardiovascular disease care in Cornwall’s most deprived communities
Resources
Upcoming and past South West CVD Collaborative focused webinars on hypertension, lipids optimisation and heart failure can be accessed here.
Stay up to date Sign up to the South West CVRM Connect Newsletter – the platform where the three health innovation network organisations that work within the South West region (West of England, Wessex, South West) share educational opportunities, interesting local projects, exciting new innovations and other news from across the region.
Learn more
To find out more about work on the Cardiovascular Disease Programme, please contact:
Heart Failure Programme: Harriet Matthews, Programme Manager.
Blood Pressure Optimisation: Libby Dawe, Project Manager.
