House of Commons · Westminster Hall
13 December 2022 · 6 other contributors · 7,683 words
Opened by Pauline Latham Con Mid Derbyshire
Responding minister: Helen Whately
Summarised by AI from the official record, so it can contain mistakes.
Pauline Latham raised concerns about aortic dissection: patient pathways and research funding in Westminster Hall. A government minister responded.
Key points
Key requests to Government
Latham requests the Minister to commit to increasing data collection on aortic dissection, improving diagnosis training for emergency departments, launching toolkits for diagnosis in addition to treatment, funding long-term treatments, implementing specialist nurses for follow-up care, facilitating genetic screening guidelines, and allocating more research funds.
MPs spoke in turn to share their views and ask questions. Here's what each person said.
Opened the debate
Pauline Latham is concerned about the high mortality rate of aortic dissection, which affects approximately 4,000 people annually in the UK, with half dying soon after diagnosis. She cited her personal experience with losing her son Ben to this condition due to misdiagnosis at an emergency department. The charity she co-founded aims to improve patient pathways and increase survival rates through education, research, and better data collection.
He paid tribute to his hon. Friend for her bravery in bringing the debate, highlighting her recent work with the charity to save lives. He suggested focusing on training emergency department doctors using fast scanning techniques to detect aortic dissection and urged the Minister to allocate funding for this purpose.
Feryal Clark thanked the hon. Member for Mid Derbyshire for securing the debate and highlighted the severe consequences of aortic dissection, noting that over 2,000 people per year lose their lives from it. She expressed concern about misdiagnosis rates estimated at one in three cases and called for updates on steps being taken to improve diagnosis rates.
He acknowledged the hon. Lady's passionate and personal contribution, recognising her commitment to raising awareness about aortic dissection. Commended the hon. Member for Mid Derbyshire for leading the debate and discussing aortic dissection, noting that over 2,000 people die from it annually in the UK. He supported calls for better patient pathways and more funding, highlighting the need for improved diagnosis through familial connections and collaboration with devolved nations to ensure consistent care across the United Kingdom. Jim Shannon thanked the Minister for her helpful response and suggested collaboration on research among Northern Ireland, Scotland, and Wales to benefit all regions. He emphasised the importance of sharing information across different areas.
Asked about the possibility of integrating aortic dissection awareness with other health campaigns to reach a wider audience.
He offered his hon. Friend an opportunity to provide evidence on screening proposals during their upcoming inquiry by the Health and Social Care Committee, which aims to look at prevention methods for cancers and other major killers.
Paid tribute to the hon. Member for Mid Derbyshire, welcomed positive contributions on taking effective action against aortic dissection, highlighted that around 2,000 people lose their lives annually in the UK from this condition, and noted that research by the British Heart Foundation and Scottish Government has led to significant progress.
Government Response
Helen WhatelyExpressed condolences for the families affected by aortic dissection, praised the work of the Member for Mid Derbyshire in raising awareness and improving diagnosis. Highlighted NHS England's launch of an aortic dissection toolkit to improve care pathways. Mentioned ongoing research funded by NIHR and UKRI into prevention and treatment, and encouraged further applications from researchers. Acknowledged inconsistencies in guideline implementation across emergency departments and committed to looking into these issues further.