Warning of lives at risk due to missed heart disease targets

Plans to prevent 150,000 extra heart attacks and strokes within a decade in England are dangerously off track, we've warned today.

Key heart disease targets are being missed in England, including ambulance waiting times for suspected heart attacks and strokes, high blood pressure management in under 80s, and waiting times for a heart procedure or operation.

This is due to a perfect storm of pressure on the NHS exacerbated by the pandemic.

In a speech at Westminster Health Forum today, our Chief Executive Dr Charmaine Griffiths set a challenge for leaders across Government, the NHS and research to “work together to save countless lives from heart disease for generations to come”. 

Acknowledging the heroic effort from health workers throughout the pandemic, she told health leaders at the conference how recovery after Covid-19 was not enough to get the nation’s heart health back on track. 

Lives on the line

She said: “Even before the pandemic, waiting lists for vital heart care were already too high. And despite best efforts, since records began in 2017 ambulance services in England had never once met the monthly target of reaching suspected heart attack patients within 18 minutes on average.

“We truly believe just the recovery of services to pre-pandemic levels is not enough to build a future free from the fear of heart and circulatory disease. We must do better, go faster, stretch further. It is no exaggeration to say that people’s lives are on the line.

“To make this possible, every part of the voluntary sector, public health, NHS, and research communities must come together. All of us will have a role to play.”

Our analysis reveals that most of NHS England’s headline commitments to improving and saving lives from cardiovascular disease over the next 10 years, as laid out in the Long Term Plan, will not be met on time if current trends continue - largely due to the pandemic’s severe disruption to NHS care.
 
The number of people under 80 with high blood pressure who had it checked and were treated to target fell by almost a third in the first year of the pandemic in England, while average ambulance waiting times for suspected heart attacks and strokes have soared to just over an hour.

Waiting lists in England for heart surgery and procedures have climbed to over 300,000 people, latest figures show.

We need bold interventions

The impact of this is not being felt equally, with society’s most disadvantaged at highest risk of premature death and disability because of monumental disruption to their heart care. 

The charity has urged NHS England to renew its commitments in the fight against heart disease in the upcoming Long Term Plan update.

Government action is also needed at pace to turn the tide against heart disease, the BHF warns. This includes bold interventions on obesity and smoking to create a healthier environment for everyone.

And to ensure every heart patient can benefit from pioneering science, the charity is calling for research to become a routine part of healthcare by giving doctors more protected time to carry out clinical studies and supporting clinical academic careers, as the cardiac workforce recovers.

Dr Griffiths added: “Over the last 60 years, we’ve made huge strides to better prevent, diagnose and treat cardiovascular disease thanks to awe-inspiring scientific breakthroughs and outstanding NHS care. As a result, millions more people now live healthier for longer.

“We can’t stop now. We face a very real risk of reversing the incredible progress we’ve made unless we supercharge the fight against heart disease on all fronts, starting with the upcoming Long Term Plan update.”

Anyone diagnosed with high blood pressure is encouraged to take up a free NHS health check in England, or to visit one of over 7,000 pharmacies across England to get their blood pressure checked.