Thousands of lives have been saved and almost 17,000 strokes prevented, thanks to the rapid roll-out of blood-thinning drugs on the NHS, the head of the health service will announce today. New data shows almost half a million people at increased risk of strokes have started taking life-saving direct oral anticoagulants (DOACs), in the last […]

Thousands of patients with heart failure will now be treated from home as the NHS expands its world-leading virtual wards scheme. The expansion means people can remain active and maintain their independence in their own home, while undergoing medical treatment. New NHS clinical guidance published this week asks local health systems to expand their use […]

The NHS has delivered on its ambition to roll out 10,000 virtual ward beds by the end of September, new figures show today. More than 240,000 patients have now been treated on virtual wards thanks to the world-leading initiative, with research showing people who are treated at home recover at the same rate or faster […]

A new survey published today by NHS England has revealed a lack of confidence among the public in recognising the symptoms of a heart attack, with nearly half (45%) of adults saying they were not confident they could recognise the signs, rising to over half (51%) in those aged over 55 – who are more […]

The NHS is expanding blood pressure checks available in local communities including barbershops, mosques and at a dominoes club, as part of a major drive to prevent strokes and heart attacks. Thanks to the learning from the NHS covid vaccination programme, local teams are reaching out into their neighbourhoods to find potential health problems before […]

The NHS is launching a lifesaving campaign to encourage people to call 999 when they are having early signs of a heart attack, as admissions for heart attack return to pre-pandemic levels. The campaign will teach people about the common signs of a heart attack that are often dismissed or ignored by people. NHS figures […]

Hundreds of thousands of patients could benefit from a quicker diagnosis for a range of respiratory and heart conditions, through ambitious new NHS plans for fast-tracked tests and checks. As part of measures announced by the NHS today to speed up detection of major health problems, GP practices will be able to directly order diagnostic […]

NHS ‘one stop shops’ have delivered over one million checks and tests since the rollout began, as the biggest catch up programme in health history gathers pace. Over 90 community diagnostic centres (CDCs) are already freeing up hospital capacity by offering MRI, CT and other services closer to patients’ homes, often in the heart of […]

The NHS is today launching a new lifesaving campaign to encourage people to dial 999 when they are having early signs of a heart attack. Backed by celebrities including One Foot in the Grave actor Richard Wilson and Sky Sports presenter ‘Tubes’ – the campaign will tackle a number of common heart attack myths, after […]

More than 20,000 strokes and 5,000 deaths could be averted after NHS England struck new agreements to expand life-saving blood thinning drugs, chief executive Amanda Pritchard announced today. The NHS will now dramatically scale up the use of direct oral anticoagulants (DOACs) with as many as 610,000 more patients set to benefit over the next […]