Helping Prevent Cardiovascular Disease: What You Need to Know
As part of a new initiative from the Scottish Government, our practice is participating in the Cardiovascular Disease Directed Enhanced Service . This programme is designed to help identify patients who may be at risk of developing cardiovascular disease (CVD), with the goal of preventing serious health issues before they arise.
Why You Might Hear From Us
You may receive a message from our team inviting you to attend a health check. This is because you’ve been identified as someone who may benefit from further assessment under the CVD DES programme. Importantly, this initiative does not include patients who already have a diagnosed cardiovascular condition.
Who Is Not Included?
Patients with the following conditions are not included in this programme:
- Coronary heart disease
- Stroke or Transient Ischaemic Attack (TIA)
- Peripheral vascular disease
- Heart failure
- Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm (AAA)
- Atrial fibrillation
- Type 1 or Type 2 diabetes
- Chronic kidney disease (stage 3-5)
- Hypertension
If you have one of these conditions, you are already receiving care and monitoring appropriate to your needs.
What Is the CVD Bundle?
The health check we offer may include some or all of the following:
- Blood pressure measurement
- Lipid profile (cholesterol check)
- Weight and BMI assessment
- Blood sugar level (e.g. HbA1c or glucose test)
- Smoking status review
- Alcohol intake level
These checks help us understand your current health and identify any early signs of cardiovascular risk.
Who Will Be Prioritised?
We are prioritising patients who:
- Have not had any of the above checks in the last 3 years
What to do if contacted by us.
- Please phone the practice to make an initial appointment to have your vital checked (this will include a blood test).
- When making the appointment please explain it is for a CVD check. During the booking of the appointment you will be asked questions relating to family medical history/smoking and alcohol intake.
- After your appointment your test results will be reviewed by one of our GPs who will either advise you that no further actions is needed (via txt or phone call) or invited in for a medical review for potential treatment.