Bexhill and Battle MP, Huw Merriman, is supporting HEART UK, The Cholesterol Charity, in its aim of ensuring that cardiovascular disease (CVD), one of the UK’s biggest killers, remains a key government priority. This comes as HEART UK releases a new cholesterol plan for government setting out clear and focussed recommendations designed to address the issues around treatment and management of CVD.

Despite progress in some areas of CVD management over the past 20 years, there are still around 160,000 deaths every year in the UK and about 175,000 heart attacks, so it is more important than ever that CVD remains high on the UK health agenda.

Huw attended the official launch of the new plan for government at a one off cholesterol testing event in the House of Commons, highlighting HEART UK’s mission for the majority of UK adults to know and understand their cholesterol levels in order to take any necessary action.

Speaking after the event, Huw Merriman said: “I wholeheartedly endorse HEART UK’s attempts to ensure that everyone knows their cholesterol and that the Government does all it can to ensure that patients at high risk of CVD are identified, managed and cared for in the best possible way. Cholesterol testing is simple, quick and painless and I would urge all adults to get themselves tested. I am committed to working with the local NHS and in Parliament to ensure that heart disease services are well-coordinated and remain a public health priority nationally and in the Bexhill and Battle Constituency.

The policy priorities set out in HEART UK’s cholesterol plan for new government calls for:

•  Maintaining the Health Checks programme which tests patient’s cholesterol, blood pressure and BMI, preventing 2,500 heart attacks and strokes

•   Increasing the diagnosis of Familial Hypercholesterolemia (FH) patients from 15% to 50% by 2020 through implementing a FH screening programme

•   Ensuring all patients have equal access to CVD prevention, diagnosis and support services across our NHS

Commenting on the new plan for government launch and testing event, HEART UK Chief Executive, Ms Jules Payne, said: “I would like to thank Huw Merriman for pledging to support HEART UK’s ambition of implementing our recommendations. With cardiovascular disease remaining one of the UK’s biggest killers and cholesterol being a major contributor, we are urging the Government not be complacent with the current programmes and to dedicate funding and support to future management, treatment and reporting of heart disease.”

“There is still a lot of work to do both at local and national levels to ensure that knowledge of different lipid conditions is understood by adults in the UK and that once conditions are diagnosed, our health system can continue to give them the help and support required.”