It is 10 years since the government announced funding for the national NHS Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm (AAA) Screening Programme in January 2008.
It therefore seems a good time to reflect on the programme’s achievements during that time, particularly as this will be my final year as national clinical lead.
In this podcast (listen by clicking on the play icon above) I summarise the programme’s 3 phases – implementation, quality assurance and optimisation – and pay tribute to all those who have contributed to its success so far.
Since the national programme was rolled out, we have screened more than 1.3 million men, detected more than 16,000 aneurysms and referred around 4,000 men for treatment. This is a fantastic achievement that has coincided with a dramatic improvement in outcomes for all aortic surgery in the UK.
More in-depth information on the programme’s implementation and early outcomes can be found in the following articles:
- Davis et al, 2013: Implementation of the National Health Service Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm Screening Program in England
- Jacomelli et al, 2016: Impact of the first 5 years of a national abdominal aortic aneurysm screening programme.
- Jacomelli et al, 2017: Inequalities in Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm Screening in England: Effects of Social Deprivation and Ethnicity
I will follow the programme’s progress over its next 10 years with interest.
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1 comment
Comment by Sam Ellicott posted on
Excellent summary of the first ten years of the National AAA Screening Programme given by Professor Jonothan Earnshaw who is now in his final year as national clinical lead after a job well done. Congratulations to everyone who has been involved in this fantastic achievement!
Sam Ellicott
Vice Chairman NAAASP
Patient Representative