Documentation supporting lower age limit for Cardiovascular Disease Prevention Scheme: FOI release

Information requested

Information relating to the Cardiovascular Disease Directed Enhanced Service (CVD DES) (PCA(M)(2025)02):

1. All internal documents, analyses, briefing papers, modelling results, cost-effectiveness assessments, meeting minutes, and emails that discuss, recommend or justify selecting 35 years as the lower age limit for the direct enhanced service.
2. Any risk-score calibrations, sensitivity analyses, or epidemiological models (including ASSIGN or other models) that were used to inform the decision on age thresholds.
3. Any documentation acknowledging or discussing the fact that the lower limit of 35 years is below the minimum age at which ASSIGN v2.0 was validated, including internal correspondence, risk assessments, or clinical governance considerations.
4. Any named advice (e.g., from Public Health Scotland, professional clinical groups, or external consultants) that explicitly recommends for or against starting screening at age 35.
5. Any documentation analysing early or ongoing results of screening in the 35-40-year-old age group, including outcomes, uptake, yield, risk factor prevalence, or clinical evaluation.

Date range: Please include all relevant information from the inception of planning for this specific DES up to the present day.

Preferred format: PDF.
If you consider this request too broad or likely to exceed the cost/time threshold, please advise what narrower requests you would accept and why.

Response

I enclose a copy of some of the information you requested in pdf format.

Exemptions under section(s) s 29 (1) (A) and s 38 (1) (B) of FOISA apply to some of the information you have requested. This is because the email contains information discussing the development of Scottish Government policy as well as personal data relating to a third party.

Outwith the official FOI(S)A response, some information is detailed below which may be helpful.

The CVD Risk Factors Programme has a mission to reduce CVD in Scotland, leading to improved life expectancy and healthy life expectancy for all. Within this, there is a specific stretch aim - to reduce avoidable CVD deaths by 20% in 20 years (avoidable = deaths which are considered either preventable or treatable through public health interventions or timely and effective healthcare (under 75 yrs)).

Throughout the planning for the wider programme the team considered the age range of 30-74 years based on Scottish health data on the increasingly poorer cardiometabolic health in the younger age ranges. This is why the enhanced service is aimed at 35-60 years to maximise preventative opportunities.

About FOI

The Scottish Government is committed to publishing all information released in response to Freedom of Information requests. View all FOI responses at https://www.gov.scot/foi-responses.

FOI 202500494889 - Information Released - Annex

File type

PDF

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75.0 kB