Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if she will review guidance on the use of QRISK3 in primary care where a consultant cardiologist recommends preventative cholesterol-lowering medication; and whether she has made an assessment of the potential merits of the final decision on treatment being based on informed patient consent following discussion of the risks and benefits, rather than solely on a QRISK3 score.

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence's (NICE) guideline, Cardiovascular disease: risk assessment and reduction, including lipid modification, recommends the use of QRISK3 to estimate an individual's risk of developing cardiovascular disease and to support clinical decision making. The guideline also emphasises that decisions about lipid-lowering treatment should be made following a discussion between the clinician and patient on the potential risks and benefits of treatment, taking account of the patient's circumstances, preferences and values. QRISK3 is an important decision-support tool, but clinical judgement remains central to treatment decisions. NICE keeps its guidance under regular surveillance.