Heart patients' lives at risk as waiting lists continue to grow

The number of people on cardiac waiting lists grew to 293,500 people at the end of January, NHS England data shows. This is nearly 2,700 more than the previous month, and the 19th consecutive month where an increase has been seen.

The data also shows:

• 4025 people were waiting over a year in January – 144 times higher than before the pandemic began when just 28 people were waiting this long 
• Just over 100 people have been waiting over two years
• Nearly 30 per cent of people on waiting lists for potentially lifesaving heart care in England have been waiting over four months (18 weeks) 

Data includes emergency, urgent, and elective, or ‘routine,’ heart surgery and other heart procedures, such as stents or balloons to open narrow or blocked arteries.

Our response

Commenting on the figures, Dr Sonya Babu-Narayan, our associate medical director and a consultant cardiologist said:
 
 “Month after month, we see waiting lists for time-critical heart care grow by the thousands with no sign of improving. But cardiac care can’t wait – significant delays could lead to more avoidable heart attacks, disabling heart failure, or even premature deaths. 
 
“The vast and mounting backlog of cardiac care is a ticking time bomb, which the health secretary recognised earlier this week. But what patients still urgently need to see is a clearly funded and specific plan to address the burden of cardiovascular disease. Heart patients’ lives are at risk, and we must urgently start to address the shortage of heart disease doctors, nurses and physiologists.”

Read our Untold Heartbreak report