A GOVERNMENT minister for health and primary care has responded to an Addingham family’s campaign to ensure everyone has access to life-saving cardiac screening.

Paul Gaunt, 52, of Addingham, passed away suddenly due to a huge heart attack on June 2 this year. Five years ago his brother Tony Gaunt also passed away at home aged 51 due to a heart attack.

The brothers’ father, Peter Gaunt, had previously passed away aged 63 after suffering a heart attack, as did both of his brothers at a young age.

Both Paul and Tony had suffered previous heart attacks but once given medication and, in Paul’s case, a stent fitted, they were never called back for any check-ups.

Paul’s niece, Sara Mortimer, daughter of Paul’s sister Susan, wrote to Ilkley’s MP John Grogan asking for his help to promote heart screening. Mr Grogan raised questions with government ministers on the family’s behalf and he has now received a response from Steve Brine MP, a minister in the Department of Health and Social Care.

Mr Brine expresses his condolences to Ms Mortimer and details heart screening programmes and goes on to explain how, with regard to inherited cardiac conditions in 2018 NHS England will begin to establish an “integrated national Genomic Medicine Service (GMS). Mr Brine says in his letter: “The GMS will help the NHS use cutting-edge genomic technologies to predict and diagnose inherited and acquired disease, and to personalise treatments and interventions.”

Addressing post-heart attack check-ups Mr Brine says NHS England has advised that all patients who have suffered heart attacks should be offered cardiac rehabilitation as recommended by clinical guidelines written by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence. He adds all heart attack patients should be on their GP’s Quality and Outcomes Framework register and periodically be called for review.

Sara said: “It looks like things are hopefully being done.”

The family have also been fundraising and have given Heartstart £1,000 to have another defibrillator in Addingham and also £1,500 to the Danny Jones Defibrillator Fund fund to go towards heart screening.

Sara added: “We are continuing to raise money and would like to thank everyone that has donated so far.”