Department of Health

Website of the Department of Health

Please note that this website has a UK government access keys system.

You are here:

Delivering better heart services:Progress report 2003

  • Document type:
    Publication
  • Author:
    Department of Health
  • Published date:
    3 March 2003
  • Primary audience:
    Professionals
  • Product number:
    30995
  • Gateway reference:
    2003
  • Pages:
    23
  • Copyright holder:
    Crown Copyright

The National Service Framework for Coronary Heart Disease (NSF CHD), published in March 2000, was one of the first of the Government's National Service Frameworks. It was the product of two years of work by patient representatives and some of the country's leading clinicians and heart specialists. In the fast changing world of modern medicine, its key messages have stood the test of time.

The NSF provides a blueprint for how CHD services are to be modernised over the next ten years. It details 12 standards for improved prevention, faster diagnosis, more rapid treatment, effective rehabilitation and goals to secure fair access to high quality services in a properly staffed and well equipped patient centred system that provides clear information on performance outcomes.

The CHD NSF is nearing the end of its third year of implementation. This report sets out the progress made to date.

Thanks to the experience, expertise and hard work of thousands of dedicated NHS staff, major progress has been made on all the main building blocks of the NSF. Many key targets have been delivered - some of them ahead of schedule.

There are still substantial challenges ahead - especially in those areas of the NSF that were not early priorities. But there is huge consensus in the clinical community that the NSF is a sensible framework for delivering better heart services and that it is already delivering real improvements for patients.

Additional links

Ordering publications

Contact details for obtaining hard-copy DH publications.

Help viewing PDFs

Help viewing PDFs

Useful tips to ensure you get the most from PDFs and the free Reader program. Topics covered include accessibility, troubleshooting and searching files.

Additional Links

Access keys