An innovative NHS programme helping to identify people at increased risk of heart attacks and strokes has won a national award for improving patient care.
The Familial Hypercholesterolaemia (FH) Identification Hub has been named winner of the Commissioning for Better Experience of Care category at the 2026 Picker Experience Network (PEN) Awards.
The programme, commissioned by NHS Norfolk and Suffolk Integrated Care Board (ICB), brings together expertise from across the NHS to find people who may unknowingly be living with FH – an inherited condition which causes very high cholesterol and can significantly increase the risk of developing heart disease at a younger age.
Around one in 250 people are thought to have FH, with an estimated 4,400 people in Norfolk and Waveney potentially living with the condition without knowing it.
The Hub, delivered in partnership with Norfolk and Norwich University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (NNUH) and East Genomics and supported by the ICB’s Population Health Management Team, uses population health data and genomics to proactively identify people most at risk.
Those identified can be offered specialist assessment and genetic testing, enabling earlier diagnosis and treatment. Because FH is inherited, identifying one person can also help find other family members who may have the condition.
Since the programme began, more than 1,400 people have been contacted and around 700 have received genetic testing. The approach has achieved a 19% diagnostic yield while reducing costs by 42% compared with traditional secondary care referrals.
Ed Garratt OBE, Chief Executive of NHS Norfolk and Suffolk ICB, said:
“This is fantastic news and thoroughly deserved recognition for an innovative programme that is making a real difference to people’s lives.
“For patients and families, the impact is simple but potentially life-changing: finding people who are at increased risk before they become seriously unwell means we can offer earlier diagnosis and treatment, helping to prevent heart attacks and strokes and potentially save lives. Because FH is inherited, identifying one person can also help protect the health of their wider family.
“This is exactly the direction set out in the NHS 10 Year Health Plan – moving from sickness to prevention and making better use of data, technology and genomics to identify risk earlier and provide more personalised care.
“It is also a great example of what we can achieve when colleagues across the NHS work together around the needs of patients. I want to congratulate everyone involved in developing and delivering the programme.”
The programme has also helped drive wider improvements in FH identification. A local Community of Practice has contributed to an increase in FH-related contacts across the East Genomics network from 96 to 994 over 12 months.
The ICB is now developing a business case to expand the approach into Suffolk, while further partnerships with Ipswich Town Football Club and other sporting organisations are also being explored to help raise awareness and reach more people.
Ed added:
“Winning this award is a brilliant achievement, but what matters most is what comes next and how we build on what we have learned.
“We want more people across Norfolk and Suffolk to benefit from earlier identification and treatment, reducing their risk of serious cardiovascular disease and helping them live longer, healthier lives.
“As we deliver the ambitions of the 10 Year Health Plan locally, programmes like this show what shifting towards prevention can mean in practice – identifying risk earlier, intervening sooner and improving outcomes for patients and families.”