Project Name: Nurse-Lead Lipid Clinic 

Project Summary:

Identification of sub-optimally treated ASCVD patients who are not achieving lipid levels as specified in local guidelines

Identification of ASCVD patients who have previously not tolerated or refused alternative lipid modification therapies  

Review of treatment options and decision on next steps in collaboration with ASCVD patients

Counsel and optimize ASCVD patients where appropriate  

Early identification of at-risk patients who have not had intervention in their health and wellbeing 

Identification of ASCVD patients, following risk assessment review, of ASCVD patients who are sub-optimally treated  

On-going ASCVD patients support and annual review to ensure CVD outcomes improve equitably

Planned Milestones:

  1. Project kick off meeting and set up of subsequent quarterly reviews
  2. Confirmation of recruitment of Nurse; Confirmation of clinical and operational pathway, policy and protocol creation, and readiness to begin the clinical activity. Collection of baseline data, in line with the above Project Outcome Measures & Data Collection table.
  3. Collection & submission of 6 months clinical activity data. Project Review meeting to discuss project progress.
  4. Collection & submission of 9 months clinical activity data. Project Review meeting to discuss project progress.
  5. Collection & submission of 12 months clinical activity data. Project Review meeting to discuss project progress.
  6. Collection & submission of 15 months clinical activity data. Project Review meeting to discuss project progress
  7. Development of business case
  8. Analysis of CWP data, submission of Final Project Report, Submission of Outcomes Summary

Expected Benefits:

Anticipated benefits to patients:

  • Improved access to lipid management care leading to optimal diagnosis and management of ASCVD treatments.   
  • Enhanced experience around ASCVD with ongoing management of the condition.   
  • Improved access to appropriate medication for suitable patients to preserve health and prevent long-term events  

Anticipated benefits to the Organisations:

  • Increased proportion of patients who have ASCVD or at high risk of, reviewed by the lipid service   
  • Increased proportion of patients who have ASCVD or at high risk of, receiving expert and timely reviews 
  • Increased proportion of patients receiving guideline-directed pharmacotherapy   

Anticipated benefits to Novartis:

  • Insight on the appropriate use of ASCVD licensed medicines in line with NICE guidelines, including Novartis’s medicine  
  • Enhanced reputation, and supporting Novartis’ vision that no patient should have to wait for an extraordinary life, by supporting high quality Collaborative Working with healthcare organisations which addresses the problem of health inequalities    
  • Ethical, professional, and transparent relationship between Novartis and the Healthcare Organisation  

Start Date & Duration: February 2023 for 18 months

UK2302246462

Project Name: Nurse-led Lipid Clinic 

Partner Organisation(s): London North West University Healthcare NHS Trust

Completion Date: March 2025

Outcome Summary:

The project delivered against its original aims, reaching 1,290 patients and integrating treatment outside of traditional consultant-led models. The nurse-led lipid clinic delivered lipid management i.e. access to care-supporting medication optimisation for patients with ASCVD.

Key Project Outcomes Data:

1,290 Total Patients reviewed in lipid clinic

684 of these patients seen independently by the nurse

76% of new patients were prescribed NICE-approved medications

85% of follow up patients were prescribed either a new class of NICE approved medication or up-titration of existing NICE approved medication


Unfortunately, during the time of the pilot, a significant proportion the pre-existing lipid clinic capacity became unavailable due to factors beyond the control of the team. However, with the additional nurse-led lipid clinics, the waiting list was reduced from 436 to 312 and waiting times were held steady at around 50 weeks for a first appointment.

144 Patients reviewed with confirmed FH on Genetic Testing

Outcomes:

The nurse-led model fostered patient engagement by increasing accessibility and enabling more timely reviews. With over half of all patients seen by nurse specialists, the service offered consistent, personalised support that encouraged shared decision-making—reflected in the relatively low rate of treatment refusal and high uptake of NICE-approved therapies.

Alternative care delivery models: The service demonstrated that lipid management can be  effectively delivered outside of consultant-led clinics. By embedding the nurse-led model into standard care pathways, the service alleviated pressure on consultant time and reduced the existing patient backlog. This enabled waiting lists to be reduced across the wider Endocrinology and Diabetes service as well as within the Lipids sub-specialty. 

Although the nurse-led model was considered to be successful, it was concluded that a pharmacist-led model may support a wider range of patients and therefore a business case was submitted and subsequently approved, which secured a substantive pharmacist post to continue with this lipid work. 

Conclusion: 

The nurse-led lipid clinic pilot has demonstrated potential benefits in improving lipid management, access to care, and supporting medication optimisation for patients with ASCVD. 

This project  demonstrated how lipid services could be delivered within secondary care, offering a replicable, multi-professional approach to possible improvements to cardiovascular health at scale. In addition,  the project contributed to increased service efficiency.

FA-11445916 | June 2025