First, the bad news: East London residents have a very high incidence of heart disease. Now, the somewhat better news: these same residents have access to some of the very best cardiac care in the world.
And that better news got even better just before Christmas as Circulate, the Barts Heart Charity, gave a funding commitment of £10.2 million to Barts Health NHS Trust and Queen Mary University of London (QMUL). The money has been pledged as a contribution towards the creation of a world-class cardiovascular academic medical centre at the Trust’s Barts Heart Centre, St Bartholomew’s Hospital.
Charles Knight, Professor of Cardiology and Executive Director of the Barts Heart Centre, put the essence of the news succinctly: “The people of North and East London continue to suffer appalling rates of cardiovascular disease, and this is a tremendous opportunity to develop new approaches for cardiovascular patients worldwide. If the establishment of the centre lowers early mortality rates to European levels, then we could potentially save over 11,000 lives over the next five years.”
His words were informed by the fact that cardiovascular disease (diseases of the heart itself and the blood circulation system which is the heart’s job) is the number one cause of death worldwide. In England, it is responsible for 67 premature deaths per 100,000 of the population – although in parts of London this figure rises to 85 per 100,000. The corresponding figure across Europe is 50 per 100,000 in Europe – so, as Professor Knight says, we do indeed have a long way to go.
The £10.2 million investment will focus on integrating clinical care and research strategies to tackle the most pressing cardiovascular healthcare issues facing our community which also have a broad global relevance, including new ways of dealing with high blood pressure.
Circulate, the Barts Charity, aims to raise most of its money from local businesses. Nonetheless, as the money it raises does so very much good, it is a shame that funding for the cardiac centre is not met automatically from fair national taxation.
For more information about the charity, ring or 020 7618 1720, email appeals@bartshealth.nhs.uk or go to: www.bartscharitycirculate.org.uk
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