Heart care waiting list at record high in England for another month

Latest NHS England figures published today show that the number of people on cardiac waiting lists has risen to a record high of 396,743 at the end of June 2023 in England – an increase of 4,045 people on the previous month.  

The latest increase means the number of people on the waiting list has risen by 70 per cent since February 2020, the month before the pandemic began, when 233,081 people were waiting for cardiac care. 

The figures also show that:

• There was a further rise in the number of people who were waiting over four months (the maximum intended waiting time target) for potentially lifesaving heart care at the end of June – 147,241 compared with 141,030 at the end of May. Well over a third (37%) of all people on waiting lists for cardiac care are waiting over 18 weeks for care. The longer people wait for treatment, the higher their risk of becoming disabled from heart failure or dying prematurely.  
• The number of people waiting over a year for time-critical heart tests and treatments rose to 12,799 – another record high. Just 28 people were waiting this long three years ago in February 2020.  
• New NHSE figures show that average ambulance response time for category 2 calls (which includes suspected heart attacks and strokes) fell to 32 minutes in July, from 37 minutes in June. The official target is 18 minutes, but the Government has set a new average target of 30 minutes over 2023/24.