BHF comment
Cardiology waiting times in Scotland are highest level on record
More than 24,000 people were waiting for a cardiology appointment as of September 2024, a 252% increase on the number waiting in 2019 and an increase of 1,000 in just one year.
David McColgan, Head of BHF Scotland, Kevin Haggerty with his family, and Jenny Minto the Minister for Public Health
Of these, more than 14,000 had been waiting for longer than the Scottish Government target of 12 weeks and 1,184 longer than a year – a 56% increase from September 2023.
Thousands of people are languishing on waiting lists, many experiencing severe ill health, and waiting for far too long to find out if they have heart disease and need to start treatment.
At a reception at the Scottish Parliament in Edinburgh, we recently launched Scotland’s Hearts Need More, a campaign calling for greater investment into cardiac services across the nation.
An audience of over 150 people including leading politicians, clinicians, fundraisers, and BHF Heart Heroes attended and David McColgan, Head of BHF Scotland, said: “Coronary heart disease remains Scotland’s single biggest killer. Delaying treatment for heart conditions can make it harder to manage, increases costs to the NHS and leads to worse outcomes for patients.
“Thousands of families across Scotland are waiting anxiously to be diagnosed or start treatment and many of those people affected by heart disease are experiencing debilitating health issues or losing their lives before they even get the care they need.
David added: “We need strong political leadership to appropriately provide focus and investment to improve cardiac services, as well as a renewed emphasis on ensuring that people affected by heart and circulatory disease receive the support they need to live well with their condition.”
Around 18,000 people died from heart and circulatory diseases in 2023 in Scotland – that's 50 a day – and a higher number of deaths than in 2009, reversing the trend of decades of falling cardiovascular disease deaths.
Our supporter Kevin Haggerty featured in a moving video which was played to the audience, in which he appealed to politicians to help patients languishing on waiting lists.
Kevin, 51, has type 1 diabetes, coronary artery disease, suffers from angina and has previously had three heart attacks – yet he has been waiting for his outpatient appointment for more than two years.
He said: “I don’t live my life; I ask my partner every day if I’m going to die tonight. Why have I waited since September 2022 to see a cardiologist? Can anyone answer me that please, because I don’t want to die waiting for an answer."