Heart care waiting list 50% higher than before the pandemic in England

Latest NHS England figures published today show that the number of people on cardiac waiting lists grew to a record 349,090 at the end of September in England.

This is 2,961 more than the previous month, and the 27th consecutive month where an increase has been seen.

The latest increase means there has been a 50 per cent rise compared to February 2020, before the pandemic began. 

The longer people wait for treatment, the higher their risk of becoming disabled from heart failure or dying prematurely. 

Other key findings today include:

• 125,983 people have been waiting over four months (the maximum waiting time target) for potentially lifesaving heart care – more than one third (36%) of all people on waiting lists for cardiac care.
• 7,780 people had been waiting over a year as of September – another record high, and 278 times higher than before the pandemic began when just 28 people were waiting this long. 
• Average ambulance response time for category 2 calls (which includes suspected heart attacks and strokes) rose in October to over an hour at 61 minutes,  over triple the target of 18 minutes.
• This is the second month on record that average response times for category 2 calls have breached an hour. However, this average excludes London Ambulance Service, as its figures are not yet available. 
• Average ambulance waits have remained over twice the target time for 16 months. 

What we say

Dr Sonya Babu-Narayan, our Associate Medical Director, said: “It’s so demoralising to see heart care waiting lists continue to rise month-on-month and such high numbers of people waiting longer than they should.

"People who need heart care can’t wait – severe delays to vital tests, procedures and operations can lead to avoidable hospital admissions, and tragically can cost lives.

"As recent BHF analysis shows, there have been over 30,000 excess deaths involving coronary heart disease since the pandemic began, and disruption to heart care will likely have contributed to this shocking figure.  
 
“Waiting a long time for heart care can’t become the norm. It’s even affecting people with medical emergencies like heart attacks or stroke, and it’s not even winter yet.

"Healthcare staff are doing all they can, but there aren’t enough of them to make a dent in the ever-growing backlog of care.

"We urgently need Government to deliver a Heart Strategy that addresses the shortages in specialist cardiac staff, prevents heart disease in the first place, and invests in cardiovascular medical research to prevent, diagnose and cure cardiovascular disease for generations to come."

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