The United Kingdom National Screening Committee (UK NSC) has opened its three month public consultation on screening to prevent Sudden Cardiac Death (SCD) in young people, ages 12-39. The consultation will close on 7 September and welcomes input from individuals and organisations. Further information about the consultation and how to participate can be found at the following link:

https://legacyscreening.phe.org.uk/suddencardiacdeath

The UK NSC last reviewed screening for SCD in young people, ages 12-39, in 2015 and it was recommended that screening should not be offered.

The UK NSC is an independent committee that advises Ministers and the National Health Service in all four UK countries on all aspects of screening. Using research evidence, pilot programmes and economic evaluation, the Committee assesses the evidence for national screening programmes against a set of internationally recognised criteria covering: the condition; the test; the treatment options; and the effectiveness and acceptability of the screening programme.

The specialised commissioning Clinical Reference Group (CRG) for Vascular Disease, together with NHS Improvement’s Getting it Right First Time (GIRFT) team, aims to address many of the issues raised in the report. There is a joint NHS England and GIRFT Board for the ‘Action on Vascular’ work, which is focusing on the early availability of treatments to increase lower limb circulation and reduce amputation rates.

The NHS Long Term Plan published on 7 January commits to ensuring that hospitals provide patients with access to multi-disciplinary footcare teams and inpatient specialist nursing teams, in order to improve recovery and reduce lengths of stay and future readmissions. This commitment will support reducing inequalities by giving universal access to multi-disciplinary footcare teams and diabetes inpatient specialist nurses.

The specialised commissioning Clinical Reference Group (CRG) for Vascular Disease, together with NHS Improvement’s Getting it Right First Time (GIRFT) team, aims to address many of the issues raised in the report. There is a joint NHS England and GIRFT Board for the ‘Action on Vascular’ work, which is focusing on the early availability of treatments to increase lower limb circulation and reduce amputation rates.

The NHS Long Term Plan published on 7 January commits to ensuring that hospitals provide patients with access to multi-disciplinary footcare teams and inpatient specialist nursing teams, in order to improve recovery and reduce lengths of stay and future readmissions. This commitment will support reducing inequalities by giving universal access to multi-disciplinary footcare teams and diabetes inpatient specialist nurses.

Public Health England (PHE) raises public and professional awareness of the impacts of air pollutants, particularly those related to the cardiovascular and respiratory systems, by supporting activities that aim to change behaviour, such as the annual Clean Air Day; contributing to the health messages of the Daily Air Quality Index; and supporting masterclasses for public health professionals on air quality.

In addition, PHE releases briefings and toolkits, including the PHE, Department for Environment, Farming and Rural Affairs and Local Government Association air quality briefing for Directors of Public Health; this can be accessed at the following link:

http://www.adph.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/6.3091_DEFRA_AirQualityGuide_9web.pdf

My Rt. hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care has not held any recent meetings with clinical bodies on the specific topic of the effect of drinking coffee on heart health.

A wide range of information on diet and heart health is available via the NHS Choices website, and NHS Choices recommends a healthy, balanced diet low in fat and sugar, with plenty of fruit and vegetables, combined with regular physical activity.