Orthopaedics
The question
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what plans his Department has to improve access to preventative intervention for patients at risk of lower-limb amputation.
Answered by Ashley Dalton
For patients at risk of lower-limb amputation, including those diagnosed with peripheral arterial disease (PAD) or chronic limb threatening ischaemia (CLTI), timely interventions for revascularisation are crucial, along with preventative measures and early diagnosis.
In 2022, NHS England commissioned a two-year Commissioning for Quality and Innovation (CQUIN) scheme, which incentivised the adoption of the Peripheral Arterial Disease Quality Improvement Framework (PAD-QIF), which aims to reduce delays in assessment, investigation, and revascularisation in patients with CLTI and in turn amputation rates.
Alongside this, NHS England has implemented a range of initiatives aimed at improving prevention and early diagnosis of conditions which increase the risk of needing lower-limb amputations. These include NHS Health Checks for early detection of cardiovascular disease (CVD), the NHS Diabetes Prevention Programme, and expanding community diagnostic centres (CDCs) to improve early detection.
The 10-Year Health Plan, once published, will set out the Government's overarching vision for delivering the critical shift from a focus on treating illness to preventing conditions such as CVD.
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