National Campaign for Cardiac Rehab - an update for the BACR

Friday 3rd October 2008

Ruairi OConnor

Policy & Public Affairs

Overview

• What we’ve done

• Successes

• New opportunities

Campaign messages

• Cardiac rehab saves lives

• Cardiac rehab is not expensive

• Without it patients are 25% more likely to die within five years

• Yet, the NSF’s target of 85% accessibility to CR is still far from being met

National Audit 2008

There continues to be:

• a severe lack of CR provision in the UK

• massive inter and intra-regional variations in the level and standard of CR

• significant underfunding despite superb efforts of individual staff

What’s the campaign done?

• People power– Direct lobbying– Parliamentary work

• Working with Government– DH prioritisation– Four nations

• Awareness raising– Media work

• Four nations

People power

• 10,000 petition signatures and counting…

• Information shared with Health Ministers

• Email addresses helping us keep in touch with campaigners

• e-newsletter

• BHF’s Heart Support Groups

Parliamentary protest

Parliamentary work

• BHF meetings with key politicians– Party conferences 2007 and 2008

• e-advocacy email service– bhf.org.uk/cardiacrehab– 500 emails sent

• 100+ Hansard mentions

In the media

In the media

Successes so far

• England: Renewed DH activity– National Clinical Lead and National Clinical Adviser– NHS Heart Improvement Programme – pilot sites– Payment by Results Working Group

• Scotland: Significant CR commitments in July 2008 CHD and Stroke Strategy

• Wales: £2 million ring-fenced funding to stop CR programmes going under

New opportunities

• The NSF runs out in late 2009 – what’s next?• Election 2010

– Aim – to make CR a political issue

• Building up our campaigner support– Involving 300+ Heart Support Groups– Engaging PCTs - making the most of LINKs– Further progress in Scotland, Wales and N. Ireland

• Getting better case studies

Your voice counts

Visit our stand for updates…

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ideas…

and…engage with the CVC Green

Paper!