Overview
Amgen UK commissioned HPP to develop a more compelling and ambitious vision for cholesterol management in the UK. This resulted in a new call to action, widely endorsed by key cholesterol stakeholders, to be followed up via local workshops.
EBUN OJO, CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASE PREVENTION CLINICAL LEAD, NHS SOUTH YORKSHIRE ICB; CONSULTING CLINICAL LEAD, LABCVD LTD
The challenge
Ambitious, system-wide action is urgently needed to improve cholesterol management in England, as part of a holistic approach to cardiovascular disease (CVD) prevention.
Cholesterol is a key risk factor for CVD – a leading cause of death and disability in England, but is consistently underdetected and not optimally managed. Real-world performance in managing cholesterol to target is poor, especially among high-risk groups, and policy ambition from the centre to address this has historically been low.
Medication and lifestyle interventions to lower cholesterol to target levels can significantly improve cardiovascular outcomes. Addressing cholesterol is therefore essential to reducing the acute pressures that CVD is placing on the NHS in England. Despite this, more than half of adults in England are living with high cholesterol.
High-risk groups are of particular concern; cholesterol is not being effectively lowered for many people at enhanced risk of heart attack and stroke, and it often receives lower prioritisation than other risk factors in efforts to improve cardiovascular outcomes.
What we achieved
HPP produced a clear consensus for action to drive change in cholesterol management and strengthen secondary prevention of CVD in England. Tangible, clear actions were presented to government and system leaders at national, regional and local levels. These corresponded to decision-making competencies at different levels of NHS England.
To achieve credibility, validity and stakeholder support, HPP convened a multidisciplinary group of experts to produce a call to action. To inform this vision, we conducted a comprehensive literature review of academic publications, guidance, policy and reports on progress in cholesterol management in England over the past five years. This was followed by a consensus-building roundtable, hosted in August 2024, to provide a platform for experts to validate our findings and co-create recommendations for securing progress in cholesterol management.
The project offered a clear platform for ICB engagement and will be followed up by workshops with regional decision-makers.
Core resources
Call to action
Committing to cholesterolProject information
This project was funded by Amgen UK. For more information, see the project page.
Get in touch
If you want to find out more about our work on cholesterol and cardiovascular risk management, contact Ed Harding, Founder.
