After 60 Years With NHS - UK Ranks 9th After For Example Slovenia In New Euro Consumer Heart Index

Main Category: Public Health
Article Date: 04 Jul 2008 - 2:00 PDT

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Britain's provision of heart health care ranks 9th out of 29 European countries, according to the inaugural Euro Consumer Heart Index launched in Brussels.

The new Heart Index compares how consumer-friendly care systems are around Europe. In five categories, covering 28 performance indicators, the UK score placed it in a second tier, some way behind the top-performing countries.

"Heart disease management is actually one of the stronger points of British healthcare services, if one compares their score in the Heart Index to their overall performance in the last European Health Consumer Indexi." says Dr. Arne Björnberg, Research Director for the Heart Index. "Having the strictest anti-tobacco measures in Europe are a good start. If these were complemented with improved patient choice and more rapid access to relevant care, the results could be even better."

What more could be done in the UK? "To further improve UK cardiac care delivery requires work at both ends of the scale. The introduction of a national screening programme to improve prevention is but there is also a need for post-hospital rehabilitation and ensuring that quality is measured, not only targeted!" notes the President of the Health Consumer Powerhouse, Mr. Johan Hjertqvist, analysing the Index implications for the UK.

About the Euro Consumer Heart Index

The Index provides a ranking of European cardiovascular healthcare systems across five key areas to the consumer: Information, Consumer rights and choice; Access; Prevention; Procedures; and Outcomes. The Index is constructed from public statistics and independent research.

The producer of the European Consumer Heart Index is the Health Consumer Powerhouse, providers of analysis and information in healthcare. As with all the HCP's indexes it takes a consumer-centric position. The Heart Index was produced with the help of an unrestricted grant from Pfizer Inc.

For more information and the explanatory report: see here

Health Consumer Powerhouse