Cardiovascular disease (CVD) affects 7 million people in England and is the highest cause of premature death. It disproportionately affects the most deprived communities as people living in social deprivation are more likely to be exposed to disease risk factors and are twice as likely to die from CVD. It is therefore no surprise that The NHS Long Term Plan (LTP) prioritises a wide range of actions to deliver improvement.

AHPs have a wide-ranging role within CVD pathways – delivering population-based strategies in primary prevention, diagnostic services enabling early intervention, crisis management, and being part of the multidisciplinary team working to improve outcomes through the delivery of high-quality intervention.

There are many opportunities to strengthen AHPs’ contribution in CVD, delivering innovative and impactful interventions. These case studies, collated and made available by the Office of the Chief Allied Health Professions Officer (CAHPO) demonstrate evidence-based interventions which we know are not universally available across the country, but that could make a real difference to people’s lives, wellbeing and ultimately survival rates.

The 16 case studies are arranged in chapters according to their impacts –

• prevention and early identification;
• supporting people to live well; and
• boosting out of hospital care.

These case studies are not an exhaustive list of AHPs’ contribution to CVD prevention and management but illustrate a range of the opportunities for spread of adoption, supporting people to stay well and live well, and boosting out-of-hospital care.

View the case studies: AHPs making an impact in cardiovascular and respiratory disease