This debate will be opened by Jim Shannon MP. Jim Shannon is the chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Vascular and Venous Disease.

What is the vascular sector? 

The vascular sector describes the range of professionals and services involved in treating people with vascular disease, a collective term for diseases affecting the veins and arteries. According to Circulation Foundation, a UK vascular charity, vascular disease is as common as cancer and heart disease and accounts for 40% of deaths in the UK. The charity says many of these deaths are preventable. Examples of vascular conditions include: 

  • abdominal aortic aneurysm (a dangerous swelling of the aorta) 
  • peripheral arterial disease (PAD), which can lead to leg amputation 
  • varicose veins and leg ulcers 
  • diseases related to the carotid artery 

The Circulation Foundation has published a series of fact sheets about these and other vascular diseases. 

Risk factors for vascular disease include smoking, diabetes, high blood pressure and high cholesterol. The risk of developing PAD is four times higher among smokers than non-smokers and two-to-four times higher among people with diabetes than people without diabetes. 

What are the concerns about the vascular sector? 

In March 2026, the Vascular and Venous Disease All-Party Parliamentary Group (VVAPPG) launched its report ‘Making the case for reform in the vascular sector’. It said that gaps in vascular care are resulting in avoidable harm for patients. In particular, the report highlighted “delayed diagnosis, inconsistent referral pathways and variable access to specialist care” for people with PAD, venous disease and diabetes-related foot complications. It said these problems are resulting in “thousands of avoidable lower-limb amputations each year.” 

The report also highlighted inequalities in access and outcomes in relation to foot and lower limb vascular disease across people from different socioeconomic backgrounds. It said that people from more deprived areas have higher rates of amputation and that other intersectional factors, such as disability and race, have created a “postcode lottery […] reinforcing avoidable pain, immobility and premature loss of independence.” 

To address these issues, the report called for a shift to a “prevention-led, community-first model of care” through the establishment of multidisciplinary ‘foot protection services’ in every Integrated Care System (ICS). It set out five priority actions for national leaders:  

  • fund and implement a ‘national foot attack pathway’ with mandated same-day or next-day triage standards, supported by a public awareness campaign 
  • reform commissioning to an outcomes-based model, incentivising earlier diagnosis, faster healing and fewer amputations 
  • accelerate adoption of innovation, such as through the NHS Innovator Passport, which aims to speed up the roll out of new technologies 

What has the government said about the vascular sector? 

In response to a parliamentary question about the VVAPPG’s report, the government said it welcomed the report. In July 2026 the Department of Health and Social Care and NHS England published a cardiovascular disease modern service framework (CVD MSF), as committed to in the 10 Year Health Plan for England.  

The CVD MSF sets out the government’s 10-year vision and delivery model to reduce premature deaths from heart disease and stroke in England. It includes 12 priorities for the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of risk factors for CVD, focusing on reducing health inequalities and shifting care into the community. The framework takes a “cardiovascular-kidney-metabolic (CKVM) approach”, which recognises that several conditions and risk factors share common causes, contributing to most heart attacks and strokes. It also notes that this approach will have benefits for other conditions with these risk factors, including PAD. 

Press and parliamentary material 

VVAPG, ‘Making the Case for Reform in the Vascular Sector’, March 2026 

English Diabetes Footcare Network, ‘White paper outlines ‘urgently needed’ reforms to lower-limb vascular care’, March 2026 

Association of British HealthTech Industries, ‘Vascular Care Is Falling Behind: Our Plan to Fix It’, March 2026  

Vascular News, ‘UK report calls for vascular care reform to reduce avoidable lower-limb amputations’, 18 March 2026 

Medical Device Network, Podcast: Why vascular care in England needs reformation, 19 June 2026  

PQ 21915 [on Cardiovascular Diseases: Health Services], – awaiting answer  

PQ HL201 [on Peripheral Arterial Disease], 8 June 2026 

PQ HL200 [on Peripheral Arterial Disease], 5 June 2026 

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