Destination 2020

Aims

One of our continuing priorities at the BHF is to keep up the pressure on government to develop policies to minimise the risk and impact of heart and circulatory disease for the population as a whole.

'Inspiring support'
This isn't a battle we can fight alone. Instead, we aim to inspire support through imaginative collaborations, such as the Cardio & Vascular Coalition (CVC). This brings together 41 voluntary sector organisations to campaign for improved cardiac and vascular health in England.

We also hope this project inspires further progress in cardiac and vascular conditions in other nations of the UK, as we continue to monitor their respective plans, which are in place until 2011 and beyond.

Achievements

The Government's current plan for coronary heart disease in England has been successful on many levels, but we believe there is a real need to pin down future priorities and incorporate related conditions such as stroke, diabetes and kidney disease.

The CVC has published a new set of aspirations for the next decade, called Destination 2020: A plan for cardiac and vascular health - and our supporters are pushing for this plan to become a reality.

Our Policy and Advocacy team has worked closely with BHF Shops and the Online team to engage the public in the campaign, attracting over 135,000 petition signatures and giving a voice to thousands of people who would otherwise not have been heard.

Ambitions

We have a ten-year goal at the BHF to reduce the level of heart-related deaths in all UK local authority areas to the current level in South East England or below. By placing the needs of patients and the fight against inequalities at its centre, Destination 2020 can play an inspiring role in delivering this objective.

We'll continue to make a compelling case to government, and call for policies that give cardiovascular patients the world-class services they need.