Fewer people dying of cardiovascular disease in Wales, according to new report

Fewer people are dying of cardiovascular disease in Wales, according to the Welsh Government’s heart disease annual report.

The report, published today, also shows that fewer people are suffering from heart disease; more people are being treated quicker and closer to home and more lives are being saved through early diagnosis of heart disease related conditions

This is the third Welsh Government Heart Disease Annual report. It shows the progress made against actions set out in the Together for Health Delivery Plan and is a key part of a continued commitment to improving outcomes for people with heart disease in Wales.

Health Secretary Vaughan Gething said:

“This is a positive report which shows the significant progress we’re making in treating heart disease and improvements in providing support for those who’ve experienced cardiovascular problems.

“The steady decline we’ve seen in the rate of people dying from all cardiovascular disease, alongside the fact that fewer people are suffering from heart disease is something we’re proud of.

“We’ve done a lot of work in this are and earlier in the year we announced that actions, we put in place, to reduce the number of people in some of South Wales’ most deprived communities from dying prematurely from cardiovascular disease will be extended across Wales.

“This will help strengthen the identification of people at risk of developing cardiovascular disease and to support prevention and risk management in primary and community care settings.

“A crucial part of improving the future life prospects of people who’ve suffered heart disease is making sure they have the right rehabilitation. Today’s report shows an extra 180 patients attended cardiac rehabilitation in 2014-15 than the previous year.

“For the majority, the outcome of attending a programme translated into improvements in exercise status, psychosocial well-being, blood pressure and cholesterol control, and health related quality of life specifications. This is great news for their general health and fitness in the future.

“It’s clear from the report that things are moving in the right direction. Much of the credit has to go to those delivering high quality healthcare, day in and day out, in our NHS here in Wales. It’s also important to pay tribute to hospices and the charities, carers and families who support heart disease patients. Without them the NHS would struggle to provide such an excellent service.

“There’s always further work to be done and the report outlines where improvement is needed. We’ll take that on board and will build on the positive progress we’ve seen so far.”