BHF comment
Hospital waiting lists for crucial heart care continue to rise
The latest statistics reveal that 260,403 people were waiting for heart tests and treatment, including invasive heart procedures and heart surgery, at the end of July in England – the 13th consecutive month that numbers have risen.
Of those waiting, 59,204 had been waiting over 18 weeks – nearly one in four (23 per cent) of everyone waiting for a heart surgery or other invasive procedure at the end of July 2021.
The number of people waiting over a year decreased in July to 3,634 from a peak of 5,248 in March 2021 – however, the figure is still 130 times higher than before the pandemic began when just 28 people had been waiting this long.
Even before the pandemic, the number of people awaiting vital heart care had been increasing year-on-year in England.
James's story
The figures come as James Wilkinson, 47, from Halifax, told the Health and Social Care Committee on Tuesday about delays to his heart care during the pandemic.The plumbing and heating engineer had five cancellations for heart surgery to replace his aortic valve, which was damaged after being diagnosed with an infection of his heart lining (endocarditis) in 2019.
On three occasions, James was already “gowned up with chest shaved ready to go” when he was told his surgery would be postponed again due to the demand for hospital beds caused by Covid-19. In the end, he decided to have the operation privately to prevent any further delays.
The father-of-two told the committee: “I was just staying at home… not hearing anything, not knowing anything, and every day feeling worse… It was terrible.”
He added: “As you can imagine, it’s quite a lot of anxiety... My six-year-old daughter, I had to prep her for the operation, tell her what was going to happen – without going into much detail. And then the next morning… she would find me at home and say ‘that’s quick daddy’. Every time I had to tell her I’m in again, and then it isn’t going to happen.”
'The scale of the challenge is significant'
Dr Sonya Babu-Narayan, our Associate Medical Director and Consultant Cardiologist, said: "The longer that access to heart care is reduced, the higher the toll from death and disability will be for years to come. This is all the more tragic when effective heart treatments exist."The scale of the challenge is significant - we forecast it will take years to address the cardiovascular care backlog without further action.
“The funding increase announced this week is a welcome start, but people with heart conditions need to hear that cardiovascular care will be specifically prioritised. We need a clear recovery plan for England to build sustainable heart disease services bigger, better and fairer for now and the future. This would avoid untold heartbreak for the rising numbers of people diagnosed with heart disease.”
Last month, we published a new report, The Untold Heartbreak, about the severe impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on the care of heart patients.
The report forecasts that it could take up to five years for the heart care backlog to recover to pre-pandemic levels in England, which were already too high. Cardiology and heart surgery waiting lists could double in the next few years due to the pandemic.
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