Launch of new lipid management pathway

Clinicians in Cheshire and Merseyside have collaborated on a new lipid management pathway aimed at improving outcomes for people with cardiovascular disease (CVD).

Health Innovation North West Coast and Cheshire and Merseyside Cardiac Network have developed The Lifespan Pathway for Lipid Management 2024 in association with clinicians and specialists in the region.

Winsford GP Dr Sue Kemsley, who has a special interest in cardiology and is Clinical Lipid Lead for Health Innovation NWC, was lead author and led development of the best practice decision aid.

Management of lipids (broadly speaking, fats in the blood) is an NHS priority aimed at reducing CVD which causes one in four deaths in England. CVD is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality and is the largest area where NHS can save live in the next 10 years.

The new pathway is supported by national lipid guidance and is intended to be used by providers and commissioners of primary care and CVD services.

The pathway is designed to improve outcomes for people at risk of or with CVD, who would benefit from lipid-lowering interventions to reduce the risk of new or extra CVD burden.

It features signposting to clinical and other services, lifestyle management and referral options for at-risk individuals throughout their lives.

Dr James Boyes, North West Coast Clinical Network Programme Manager, said: "The Cheshire and Merseyside Cardiac Network is immensely proud to have worked in partnership with Health Innovation North West Coast to create the Lifespan Pathway for Lipid Management 2024.

"This innovative pathway is the result of a collaborative and hugely successful effort between clinicians and specialists from different disciplines and settings, who shared their expertise and experience to develop a comprehensive and evidence-based approach to lipid management throughout the lifespan.

"The Network would also like to thank Dr Sue Kemsley, lead author and Clinical Lipid Lead for Health Innovation North West Coast, for her leadership and vision in developing this pathway, which will be a valuable resource for improving CVD outcomes for our population."

Dr Kemsley said: “I am pleased to introduce this clinical pathway which has taken a completely new approach to thinking about lipids.

“More than just a treatment decision aid, this pathway frames the problem in the context of the patient’s age, co-morbidities, and disability, to enable the reader to take a holistic approach to diagnosis and management of lipids.

“By taking this novel approach the reader can discover who is most at risk of CVD, from childhood to old age, and how to time interventions safely and to their best advantage.”

The Lifespan Pathway for Lipid Management 2024 can be downloaded here.