BHF responds to NHS elective recovery plan in England

The Government has today published the long-awaited elective care recovery plan, which outlines how the NHS in England will aim to tackle waiting lists over the next three years.   

Recognising the unprecedented scale of the challenge ahead, the plan is clear that without targeted and bold action to increase NHS activity levels the waiting list could increase to 14 million people. To support the NHS to deliver 30% more activity such as tests and surgeries over the next three years compared to pre-pandemic levels, the plan outlines four areas for improvement: increasing health service capacity, prioritising diagnostics and treatment, transforming how elective care is delivered, and providing better information and support services.

Several of the recommendations in our Untold Heartbreak report have been announced or recommitted to in this plan, including the roll out of surgical hubs and community diagnostic centres along with a pledge to provide personalised support to help patients as they wait for their procedure. If implemented fully, these changes should help cardiovascular care get back on track and, in the short-term, they will provide critical information and support for heart patients waiting for vital care.

What is missing

The plan is notable, however, for failing to provide any meaningful new commitments on increasing staffing levels in the health and care system, leaving in doubt how these ambitious aspirations will be met. The plan also fails to prioritise the specific needs of heart patients in the elective recovery, meaning that the NHS has no clear national targets for clearing the heart backlog to work towards. With the government recognising in this plan that waiting lists will most likely not begin to decline until 2024, we are looking at two very difficult years ahead for heart patients. It’s vital that this is plan is supported by the recovery of services across the whole health and care system, from primary care to urgent and emergency services, so heart patients can access the support they need.  

Not a moment to lose 

Commenting on the plans published this week, our chief executive Dr Charmaine Griffiths said:

“Today’s plans kickstart elective care recovery, but they don’t go far enough. There are hundreds of thousands of people waiting for a heart test or treatment in England, and millions more living with heart disease – but we did not hear concrete detail on how their unique needs will be met. 

“As we navigate the aftermath of one of the most difficult health crises in recent history, the vast, growing, and increasingly urgent backlog of vital heart scans, treatments, and operations demands specific attention.

“There is not a moment to lose. To avoid more preventable heart attacks, higher levels of disability, and more lives lost, we must urgently see a specific plan for cardiovascular care recovery that commits to addressing the shortage of heart disease doctors and nurses. This would save lives now, and for generations to come.” 

 Read our Untold Heartbreak report