Heart Diseases: Diagnosis

(asked on 30th December 2020) - View Source

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if his Department will put in place steps to ensure that everyone (a) with suspected heart failure has access to a BNP or NT-proBNP test within the NHS to support accurate diagnosis and (b) with a confirmed diagnosis of heart failure has access to specialist NHS care, as set out in NICE guidelines NG106.


Answered by
Jo Churchill Portrait
Jo Churchill
Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
This question was answered on 27th January 2021

NHS England and NHS Improvement are committed to working with regions and networks to increase access to the B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP) blood test and echocardiography, to improve the early detection and optimum management of heart failure.

Heart failure is a key priority in the NHS Long Term Plan which aims to raise awareness of the symptoms of heart failure and to ensure early and rapid access to diagnostic tests and treatment. This remains a priority during the COVID-19 pandemic and NHS England and NHS Improvement have a programme of work to support this.

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