The AHSN Network is a key member of the Accelerated Access Collaborative (AAC), the umbrella organisation for UK health innovation and the front door to support for innovators, which sets the strategy for a more effective innovation ecosystem. Dr Peter Carey, Consultant in Endocrinology and Diabetes, discusses how the AAC has helped support cardiology patients at South Tyneside and Sunderland NHS Foundation Trust, through the Pathway Transformation Fund (PTF) Lipid Optimisation project, which we’re helping to deliver.
PTF increases access to new treatments or diagnostics and provides funds to NHS organisations to overcome barriers that might prevent them from implementing these new developments. It allows you to add value to the service you’re delivering and allows you to drive forward change and provides an opportunity to try and introduce something new to routine clinical practice.
Realising ideas
Our PTF project has allowed us to move forward with an idea we had some time ago and that’s to develop a cardiac risk optimisation multi-disciplinary team (MDT) for patients who are at increased risk of cardiovascular disease. We’ve initially done that in cardiology and we’re working closely with the cardiology team. We’ve been able to employ an optimisation pharmacist, who is part of that MDT and works with myself as a lipids specialist, and we’re also rolling out that service to patients that have undergone vascular surgery as well.
The impact of the PTF has been that we’ve been able to review over 600 cardiology patients’ histories, who have been admitted with acute admissions. We’ve generated over 500 letters to their GP, making recommendations and improvements to lipid lowering therapy and diabetes care. We’ve also identified at least two patients who have undergone genetic testing for Familial Hypercholesterolaemia (FH). And I think overall, what the PTF has allowed us to do is really make significant changes, not just the lipids service that we have in my hospital, but also to the management of cardiology patients.
Watch Peter discuss the PTF fund and how its benefitted patients he cares for.
Find out more about how the AHSN Network is supporting lipid management through our Lipid Management and FH programme national programme.