Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to reduce levels of (a) avoidable disability and (b) premature death for people at risk of cardiovascular disease.

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is a leading cause of avoidable disability and premature death in the United Kingdom. This is why the Government has set a goal for fewer lives being lost to the biggest killers, including from CVD, and why the NHS England Long Term Plan, published in 2019, sets out several actions that aim to help prevent up to 150,000 heart attacks, strokes and dementia cases by 2029.

The Government is continuing to support the delivery of NHS Health Checks, England's flagship CVD prevention programme, to people aged between 40 and 74 years old. This programme identifies people at risk of CVD, supports people to reduce their risk and prevents around 400 heart attacks or strokes each year. To improve access and engagement with the life-saving programme, we are developing a digital NHS Health Check which will be ready for testing in early 2025 and will enable people to undertake a check at home. We are also trialling the delivery of heart health checks to over 130,000 people in workplaces across the country.

Community pharmacies also provide a free blood pressure check service for anyone over 40. In cases where this results in a high reading, pharmacists can make sure people receive the right National Health Service support to reduce their blood pressure, whether that be simple advice on how to live healthily, or an urgent referral to see their general practitioner. This means more people at risk of CVD can access simple, low-cost treatments that will reduce their risk of death or serious disability.