Four in five GPs failing to carry out heart checks

Published on Tuesday 2 December 2008 21:34

FOUR out of five GPs in Scotland are failing to do regular routine checks for heart disease, one of the country's biggest killers.

According to a report by Heart UK, the cholesterol charity, only 21 per cent of GPs are following guidelines set out by the Scottish Intercollegiate Guidelines Network (Sign), an NHS body responsible for improving standards.

And 20 per cent of those who are not carrying out tests had little or no knowledge of the guidelines at all.

Death rates from coronary heart disease in Scotland are among the highest in the world and are the second-highest in western Europe.

The findings of the report will be presented to the Scottish Government tonight by the charity.

Cathy Ratcliffe, deputy director of Heart UK, called the findings "worrying". She said: "If GPs can follow the guidelines then they can try to reduce the problem before it escalates. The reason we have this testing is to catch the problem early, before it gets worse. If the disease is allowed to progress unknown, then it is obviously worse for the patient, but it will also cost the government and the NHS more money in the long run." The charity contacted all 4,862 GPs in Scotland and based its results on the 500 responses it received.

The findings show that while there is a high level of compliance to the guidelines in relation to carrying out assessments of high-risk categories, GPs are less likely to carry out routine screening for low-risk groups. However, Ms Ratcliffe warned that even low-risk patients should still be tested.

She said: "Over-40-year-olds should be tested at least once every five years. By getting tested, you have the chance to prevent heart disease from diabetes and high cholesterol at an early stage.

"There is a direct link between high cholesterol and diabetes with heart disease. The public needs to be aware and GPs need to follow the regulations.

"Our aim is to reduce people's cholesterol levels. This is not done by eating less calories but by replacing saturated fats in your diet."

In 2006, diseases of the circulatory system, including coronary heart disease and stroke, killed 18,771 people in Scotland.

Lyndsay Scott, from Help the Aged Scotland, said: "It's worrying and surprising to hear that these checks are not being carried out."