At the heart of the MSF is recognition that cardiovascular disease should no longer be managed in isolation. It adopts a cardiovascular-kidney-metabolic approach, acknowledging that conditions such as heart disease, chronic kidney disease, diabetes and obesity frequently coexist and require coordinated management across care settings, clinical specialisms and job roles. The framework calls for stronger collaboration between primary, community and secondary care, supported by multidisciplinary neighbourhood teams and population health approaches.

Rather than introducing entirely new priorities, the MSF brings together 12 evidence-based interventions that should now be implemented consistently. These include systematic cardiovascular risk identification, optimisation of hypertension and lipid management, improved uptake of SGLT2 inhibitors where clinically appropriate, delivery of all diabetes care processes, wider adoption of four-pillar heart failure therapy and increased access to cardiovascular rehabilitation.

Many of these priorities are already familiar to pharmacy professionals. It also reinforces the expanding role pharmacists and Pharmacy Technicians are already playing across prevention, medicines optimisation, long-term condition management and multidisciplinary care. Whether working in hospitals, primary care, community pharmacy or integrated neighbourhood teams, many of the framework's priorities place pharmacy professionals as a key conduit for delivering change.

One of the report's strongest messages is the importance of earlier identification. NHS England estimates that around 70% of cardiovascular disease is associated with risk factors that are preventable or modifiable through earlier detection and intervention. The framework therefore promotes a holistic "ABCDE" approach that encourages clinicians to assess atrial fibrillation, albuminuria, blood pressure, cholesterol, diabetes, excess weight and kidney function together rather than managing each condition independently. As pharmacists continue to expand their prescribing responsibilities and clinical leadership within multidisciplinary teams, their ability to identify risk earlier and intervene proactively will become increasingly important.

Medicines optimisation is another major focus throughout the framework. The roadmap highlights the need to improve implementation of guideline-directed therapies, particularly increasing appropriate use of SGLT2 inhibitors, strengthening heart failure management and ensuring patients receive evidence-based lipid-lowering therapies. Achieving these ambitions will rely heavily on pharmacy expertise, not only in prescribing and medicines optimisation but also in supporting adherence, reducing unwarranted variation and helping patients navigate increasingly complex treatment pathways.

Perhaps the most significant system-wide shift outlined in the MSF is the move away from reactive hospital care towards proactive, neighbourhood-based services. The framework envisages multidisciplinary teams working across primary, community and secondary care to identify high-risk patients earlier, coordinate ongoing care and prevent avoidable admissions.

This direction of travel closely aligns with wider NHS reforms, including the development of Neighbourhood Health Services and greater integration across healthcare settings. Pharmacy professionals are expected to play an increasingly central role within these multidisciplinary models, bringing expertise in medicines optimisation, prescribing, prevention and long-term condition management closer to home.

Digital transformation also features prominently throughout the framework. The vision positions the NHS App as the central access point for cardiovascular care, supported by wearable technologies, remote monitoring, artificial intelligence-enabled risk prediction and improved data sharing through a single patient record. These developments have significant implications for pharmacy practice, with pharmacy professionals expected to make greater use of digital tools to support their work.

Addressing health inequalities is another key priority running throughout the framework. Cardiovascular disease continues to disproportionately affect people living in the most deprived communities, with individuals in these areas around four times more likely to die from cardiovascular disease than those living in the least deprived areas. The MSF therefore calls for systems to embed equity throughout service design, ensuring earlier diagnosis, equitable access to evidence-based therapies and improved outcomes for underserved populations.

These are precisely the kinds of challenges and opportunities that will be explored throughout the Clinical Pharmacy Congress programme in 2027. Across keynote sessions, clinical updates and practical discussions, delegates will hear from national pharmacy leaders and frontline clinicians about translating policy into everyday practice, implementing evidence-based therapies, developing neighbourhood pharmacy services and strengthening multidisciplinary collaboration.

Importantly, the framework has been shaped with significant pharmacy leadership. Dr Rani Khatib, Consultant Pharmacist in Cardiology and Cardiovascular Research at Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust and National Specialty Advisor for Cardiovascular Disease Prevention at NHS England and Helen Williams, Consultant Pharmacist in Cardiovascular Disease at Southeast London Integrated Care System and National Clinical Director for CVD Prevention at NHS England, were key contributors to its development. As well as ensuring medicines optimisation and the contribution of pharmacy are embedded throughout its recommendations, the next steps will be to ensure this is translated effectively into practice.

As the NHS moves towards more integrated, preventative and neighbourhood-focused models of care, the role of pharmacy has never been more central. The publication of the Modern Service Framework provides the strategic direction, and Clinical Pharmacy Congress offers the opportunity to explore how those ambitions can be translated into real-world practice through education, collaboration and shared learning.

Read the full CVD Modern Service Framework here: Cardiovascular disease (CVD) modern service framework (MSF): a cardiovascular-kidney-metabolic approach