Survival and support
Heart care waiting lists show slight fall in latest figures
The heart care waiting list fell in June 2025, latest figures from NHS England show. There were 405,414 of people waiting for ‘routine’ cardiac care in England at the end of June, down from 409,800 in May.
Today’s figures also show:
- There was a fall in the number of people waiting 18 weeks or more, from 157,358 in May to 153,908 in June.
- The proportion of people on the list who have been waiting this long for what is time-sensitive cardiac care is still 38%
- There was a slight fall in the number of people waiting over a year for cardiac care, to 7,529 in June, down from 7,848 in May.
- The longer people wait for treatment, the higher their risk of becoming disabled from heart failure or dying prematurely.
What the BHF thinks
Dr Sonya Babu-Narayan, our Clinical Director and a Consultant Cardiologist, said:
“While recent downward shifts in waiting list numbers appear encouraging, we know there are still far too many heart patients waiting far too long for vital care – waiting longer than 18 weeks is potentially dangerous when it comes to the heart. Extended waits for procedures such as stents, pacemakers or heart valve surgery, risk disability or even death that could be avoided if treatment happens in time.
“The Government has rightly committed to reducing premature deaths from heart disease and stroke by 2035. Ensuring that people get the heart care they need, when they need it is critical to achieving this aim.”