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Demand soars for Heart Helpline amid record care delays
Published:
26 March 2024
Published:
26 March 2024
Chloe MacArthur, our Helpline Nurse Lead
We've had to double the number of cardiac nurses available to work on our Heart Helpline to cope with the rising demand.
We've reported a 40 per cent surge in contacts between December 2023 and February 2024 compared to the same period last year, with the number of people getting in touch at an all-time high of 7,858 during these months.
In February alone, there was a 75 per cent increase in people calling, emailing or making live chat enquiries compared to the previous year, bringing the total number of contacts to 3,559 up from 2,029 in February 2023.
Many people contacting the Helpline raised concerns at not being able to get a diagnosis or an appointment for a heart problem or are worried about new or changing symptoms.
Latest figures show over 400,000 people were waiting for a heart test, operation, or other heart procedure at the end of January in England – a rise of 75 per cent since February 2020.
It’s estimated that there are tens of thousands more waiting for a GP referral, regular check-up with a specialist, or for aftercare such as cardiac rehabilitation.
More people need support
Not knowing the symptoms of heart problems can also lead to delays in people seeking urgent medical help for conditions like heart attacks and strokes.Chloe MacArthur, our Helpline Nurse Lead, said: “Our Heart Helpline has never been busier. More people than ever are in desperate need of support - whether they have a heart problem or want to help someone who does.
“It’s concerning that so many people we speak to are facing stressful and often frightening delays to their time-sensitive heart care.
Just last month, someone told us they are facing a 72-week wait for heart surgery, which would have been unthinkable just a few years ago.
"We’re also hearing that people are putting off seeking help because they don’t know the symptoms of potentially life-threatening heart and circulatory conditions.
“We are here to help anyone who wants answers during these uncertain times. We’ve got more nurses available to work on our Helpline, so we’re ready to support anyone by phone, email or live chat.”
There are 7.6 million people across the UK with a heart or circulatory disease, such as a heart attack, stroke, or heart failure.
Our Heart Helpline is staffed by experienced cardiac nurses who can answer your questions or concerns about heart health, from helping to understand medical jargon, to offering diet and lifestyle information.
We also have a wealth of information on our website, as well as our own free online community supported by HealthUnlocked for people with heart and circulatory diseases to share experiences and get support from one another.
We have also launched our Hearts Need More campaign to raise awareness of delays to heart care.
It asks politicians of all parties to prioritise cardiovascular disease care in the run-up to the next general election, and when a new Government is formed.
Faith's story
A 22-year-old fitness coach from Little Minsterly, Shropshire, has praised the support she received from us after having a heart attack.
On January 6, 2024, avid gym goer Faith Harrison was feeling fit and healthy when she drove over an hour to Stafford to play in a hockey match. She played well, assisting in two goals and sprinting around the pitch.
It wasn’t until after the match that she started to feel strange, but she never considered it might be something to do with her heart.
Faith said: “After the match, I just didn’t feel like myself. I didn’t feel sick or ill, just not like me. I got in my car to drive home and about 30 minutes in, my arm just went numb and tingly, and my chest went very tight like someone was sitting on it.
“I did wonder if something serious was going on, but I could speak and move so I thought I was ok. I never thought it could be to do with my heart."
She went to hospital where doctors told Faith she needed to be taken by ambulance to Royal Stoke University Hospital, the nearest heart centre.
There, tests revealed a blood clot was blocking one of Faith’s coronary arteries by 90%, and that she had been having what’s known as a “widow-maker” heart attack for the last seven hours. She was lucky to be alive.
Faith was also diagnosed with a patent foramen ovale (PFO), a small hole between the top two chambers of the heart which usually closes after birth.
In very rare cases, a PFO can allow a normally harmless blood clot to reach a coronary artery and create a blockage, leading to a heart attack.
Faith had an emergency thrombectomy, a procedure to remove a blood clot from an artery.
But unfortunately, the damage to Faith’s heart during her attack was so severe that she now has heart failure. This is a condition which means the heart doesn’t pump blood around the body effectively.
Faith said: “What happened to me was rubbish, but I’ve been given a second chance and I want to do something with it.
“Everyone, even young people, need to learn the symptoms of a heart attack so they don’t delay seeking help. It could be lifesaving.
"It’s also vital that healthcare professionals don’t assume that young people can’t have heart attacks. I’m living proof that they do.”
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