Excellence in Communications - Payers/Policy Makers

Summary of work

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is one of the nation’s biggest killers and high cholesterol is one of the biggest risk factors of CVD. As a small charity trying to punch above its weight, HEART UK, the Cholesterol Charity, with its agency Hanover Communications, has campaigned to reach policy makers with the message that CVD prevention must be prioritised. Activity has focused in particular on driving implementation of NHS Health Checks and raising awareness of the urgent need for improved diagnosis of inherited cardiac conditions. Through evidence-building and targeted policy maker and NHS engagement, the charity has highlighted best practice in CVD prevention and secured policy commitments designed to drive progress in the roll-out of prevention and diagnosis programmes. The Government’s CVD Outcomes Strategy, published in 2013, represented a full delivery of our early campaigning objectives with its pledges around implementing and evaluating the NHS Health Checks Programme and driving better detection of inherited cardiac conditions. HEART UK now has a place at the table in all official policy implementation structures and continued campaigning for progress against the Strategy’s ambitions means CVD prevention is now embedded in the new public health structures.

Judges comments

This is a sustained and driven campaign that has to compete with much larger organisations in a crowded policy space, showing notable endurance. The direct patient impact of improved Familial Hypercholesterolemia testing is impressive and the campaign has a very clear and driven strategy.