Cardiovascular Disease Prevention

Reducing cholesterol using Inclisiran

HI NENC led the rollout of Inclisiran, a Novartis therapy that lowers cholesterol by up to 50%. This first-of-its-kind initiative involved a novel tripartite agreement between Health Innovation Networks, Novartis, and the NHS, using a population health management approach to target primary care for maximum impact.

Unlike traditional drug rollouts, this collaboration enabled simultaneous adoption in both primary and secondary care, ensuring equitable access. Despite early and ongoing challenges, HI NENC successfully secured regional adoption, demonstrating a new model for introducing innovative therapies into the healthcare system while addressing cardiovascular disease risks more effectively.

In this case study, find out how some patients in the region achieved cholesterol reductions of up to 77%.

CVD healthy heart check pathway using PocDoc® rapid lipid testing

PocDoc® is an innovative point-of-care device delivering a 5-marker lipid panel result in just eight minutes via a smartphone or tablet app. This innovation enables faster detection of cardiovascular disease (CVD) markers, such as those linked to heart attacks and strokes, in non-clinical settings.

HI NENC collaborated with PocDoc to evaluate the device in a real-world setting. This included cholesterol testing at home and in community venues, targeting deprived communities and removing barriers to traditional health checks. 10,000 tests were available during the pilot phase to dramatically expand access to testing, with an aim to identify at-risk individuals early and prevent more cases of CVD.

Read the case study

Lipid-lowering Therapy – A Pharmacist-led Clinic for Secondary Prevention Vascular and Diabetic Foot Patients 

Newcastle Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and HI NENC have setup a new clinic to provide targeted treatment and support to vascular and diabetic foot patients, who have had a cardiovascular event such as a heart attack or stroke.

The pharmacist-led clinic, set up by Matthew Hart, Specialist Clinical Pharmacist, is thought to be the first of its kind in the UK.

HI NENC has funded Matthew to run the clinic two days a week and provided support with statistical analysis.

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Improving access to FH Genetic Testing: GENinCode

Familial hypercholesterolaemia (FH) is a preventable genetic disease which causes high levels of cholesterol in the blood. Yet, the condition remains underdiagnosed in England, with only 5.8% of cases identified. The NHS Long Term Plan set a goal to identify 25% of FH patients and introduced measures like a national cardiovascular disease audit and a Primary Care Network (PCN) directive for systematic case finding. However, genetic testing, the gold standard for FH diagnosis, faces capacity constraints within England’s Genomic Laboratory Hubs, leading to long waiting lists in lipid clinics.

To address this, Health Innovation North East and North Cumbria (HI NENC), in partnership with GENinCode, piloted an alternative genetic testing approach. This programme demonstrated cost-effective, efficient testing with faster reporting times, potentially enhancing identification rates and supporting the NHS goal of improved FH management and prevention.

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Educating healthcare professionals about familial hypercholesterolaemia: from a local University to a national Massive Open Online Course (MOOC)

The NHS long term plan highlighted the need to improve the identification and management of with familial hypercholesterolaemia, driving a need for further training for healthcare professionals.

Health Innovation Network funded a  five week course for healthcare professionals, led by Health Innovation North East and North Cumbria. The course was developed and delivered to 118 delegates by Northumbria University and a panel of experts in FH.

Due to high demand for the course, a Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) has been developed. The course equips healthcare professionals across the country to better identify and support people with FH. The course is free and can be accessed here.

Read more in the case study

HI NENC works collaboratively with a number of partners to enhance local services, please see details of our joint working agreements below.

• Sanofi and HI NENC are working in partnership under a joint working agreement to facilitate better identification of patients within primary care who may be at risk of having Familial Hypercholesterolaemia (FH) or high cardiovascular risk. Read in full in this joint working agreement.
• HI NENC, NHS North East and North Cumbria Integrated Care Board and Boehringer Ingelheim are working together in a collaborative working partnership to improve early detection, diagnosis and management of chronic kidney disease (CKD), through the SPOT (Screening, Prevention, Outreach and Treatment for Health Equity) CKD programme. This project aims to operationalise in March 2025 and is anticipated to run for 24 months. Read in full in this collaborative working executive summary.