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Coronary Heart Disease and Stroke in Scotland
Ministerial Foreword
Heart disease and stroke have traditionally claimed many lives in Scotland - often robbing families of mothers or fathers, brothers or sisters who should have been in the prime of their lives.
Throughout the 1990s, much had been done in Scotland and the rest of Europe to reduce levels of CHD and stroke, both in terms of people being diagnosed and people dying before their time. But in 2002, the Scottish Executive drew up a challenging Strategy to build on these good foundations. The Strategy set out action to:
prevent more people from developing heart disease and stroke
provide better, faster interventions for people with heart disease and strokes
involve patients and clinicians from throughout the service in planning and organizing services
The Strategy is working, and premature deaths and heart attacks are falling. We are on course to halve the rate of premature deaths from CHD and stroke between 1995 and 2010. So much so that the Scottish Executive has increased the target for CHD - by 2010 we aim to reduce premature deaths by 60%.
We have seen waiting times fall steadily. At the end of this month, we will cut the maximum waiting times for angiography and cardiac surgery by a third. And by 2007, the maximum waiting times for all cardiac interventions will be cut to less than a half of present levels, with no patient having to wait more than 16 weeks from seeing a cardiologist to intervention.
We have seen the development of Acute Stroke Units throughout Scotland. These offer patients a better chance of survival and a better quality of life by bringing them under the care of a multi-disciplinary team, specifically trained to deal with stroke.
We have more to do if we are going to close the gap on the rest of Europe. The recent announcement by the Scottish Executive that it will seek a ban on smoking in enclosed public spaces will make a huge difference. It sends a signal to the people of Scotland that we are serious about real change, and we're not afraid to lead from the front to achieve this.
People's expectations from the Health Service are ever-increasing. I commend those involved in CHD and stroke for their readiness to embrace new structures; to embrace the responsibility for planning and designing their own services. And most of all, I commend the people of Scotland for their readiness to take their place at the heart of our service.
Andy Kerr, MSP
Minister for Health and Community Care
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