Some 6,000 lives a year are being saved by the widespread use of cholesterol-lowering drugs in the NHS, the government's national heart director announced yesterday in a report claiming significant progress in combating heart disease over the past three years.
The drugs, known as statins, have pushed up the prescribing budget by £230m since the national service framework on heart disease was introduced three years ago. More than 1 million people considered to be at risk of a heart attack are now taking them. The numbers have been rising by 30% a year.
"Coronary heart disease is a preventable disease that kills more than 110,000 people in England every year," said Roger Boyle, the national heart director. "Reducing cholesterol levels in a patient at high risk of coronary heart disease will make a major contribution to reducing their chance of having a heart attack."
His report suggests that the emphasis the government has placed on reducing deaths and disability from heart disease is paying off. Waiting times for heart surgery have come down, he said, those who suffer heart attacks are getting quicker treatment, more heart operations are taking place and there are more working cardiologists.
"Three years ago, the NSF sowed the seeds of change for heart patients, promising better diagnosis and quicker access to treatment," said Sir Charles George, medical director of the British Heart Foundation.
"Now we are reaping the benefits and can already see the difference that this programme has made to the quality of life of thousands of patients across the country."
Dr Boyle said waits of more than a year for heart surgery were a thing of the past. In March 2000 more than 1,000 patients had been waiting more than 12 months, but now there is none waiting a year. By April, the government believes nobody will wait more than nine months.
In March 2000 only 38% of heart attack victims were given clot-busting drugs within 30 minutes of arriving at hospital. Now nearly 80% of patients get the life-saving drugs within the timeframe. The report also shows that the number of cardiologists is up from 467 to 590.
