York report reveals care shortfall in ‘Cinderella’ heart programme
Posted on 15 September 2008
Professor Bob Lewin, of the University’s Department of Health Sciences, who compiled the 2008 National Audit of Cardiac Rehabilitation said that, as a result, patients were being deprived of life-saving care.
"It's a classic Cinderella service, probably because it is delivered by nurses, physiotherapists, dieticians and psychologists, only one per cent said they had a doctor involved in their programme," he said.
Despite heart and circulatory disease being the UK’s biggest killer, many patients face a lottery as to whether they’re referred to a programme and the treatment they get if they attend
Professor Bob Lewin
The report found that the average patient receives just 79 per cent of the recommended nursing time, 36 per cent of the physiotherapy and just 16 per cent of the professional dietetic support required to meet health service guidelines. The BHF says that cardiac rehabilitation gives heart patients a 26 per cent greater chance of surviving in the five years following their diagnosis by providing them with medical and lifestyle advice.
This failure to meet the minimum recommended staffing levels is part of an overall shortfall in the provision of cardiac rehabilitation in many areas of the country. In its National Service Framework for Coronary Heart Disease, the UK Government set a target in 2000, that 85 per cent of heart patients in England should be invited to attend cardiac rehabilitation. The report found that 55 per cent of programmes were significantly under-funded, and that on average, three out of five heart patients in the UK who need rehabilitation do not have access to it. As a result, many patients are denied access to this lifesaving treatment, even though cardiac rehabilitation costs just £600 per patient.
Mike Knapton, Director of Prevention and Care at the British Heart Foundation, said: "Cardiac rehabilitation saves lives but the majority of patients don’t get the service. We are only making minimal progress towards national targets set over eight years ago. The health service needs to give cardiac rehabilitation the same priority they give to treating people with acute heart attacks."
The report marks the first anniversary of the BHF’s Cardiac Rehabilitation Campaign which calls for better availability and quality of treatment across the UK. It shows that while some improvements are being made in the provision of cardiac rehabilitation in the UK, and commitments for further progress have been made in the Scottish Government and Welsh Assembly, the majority of UK patients with heart disease are still not receiving this life-saving care.
Professor Lewin, who is Director of the BHF Cardiac Care and Education Research Group, added: "Despite heart and circulatory disease being the UK’s biggest killer, many patients face a lottery as to whether they’re referred to a programme and the treatment they get if they attend. Cardiac rehab allows people to have longer and better quality lives. We will continue to fail heart patients unless the Government and health professionals prioritise funding for this life saving treatment."
People can visit bhf.org.uk/cardiacrehab to find out how they can make a difference by supporting the campaign, either by signing an online petition or by emailing their MP.
ENDS
Notes to editors:
- The Department of Health Sciences at York is large and multidisciplinary, offering a broad range of taught and research programmes in the health and social care field. It aims to develop the role of scientific evidence in health and health care through high quality research, teaching and other forms of dissemination.
- The British Heart Foundation (BHF) is the nation’s heart charity, dedicated to saving lives through pioneering research, patient care, campaigning for change and by providing vital information.
- Led by a coalition of organisations including the British Heart Foundation, the British Association for Cardiac Rehabilitation (BACR) and patient groups, the campaign is calling for:
- Cardiac rehabilitation for every suitable heart patient who wants it
- Every cardiac rehabilitation programme to meet the minimum standards
- Equal uptake of cardiac rehabilitation for all groups of people, including women and ethnic minorities
- An offer of home-based cardiac rehabilitation if preferred to group programmes or hospital programmes as an outpatient - The national campaign is backed by the British Association of Cardiac Rehabilitation (BACR), Diabetes UK, Heart Care Partnership UK, Primary Care Cardiovascular Society (PCCS), Arrhythmia Alliance – The Heart Rhythm Charity, Sudden Adult Death Trust (SAD), Mental Health Foundation, British Cardiovascular Society.