Survival and support
Heart care waiting list continues to rise
The heart care waiting list rose in March 2025, latest figures from NHS England show. There were 425,372 people waiting for ‘routine’ cardiac care in England at the end of March, up from 421,683 in February.
The list has nearly doubled since March 2021, when it stood at 216,978.
This week’s figures also show:
• There was a slight fall in the number of people waiting 18 weeks or more, from 166,381 in February to 165,558 in March. The proportion of people on the list who have been waiting this long for what is time-sensitive cardiac care remains at 39%.
• There was also a slight fall in the number of people waiting over a year for cardiac care, to 8,028 in March, down from 8,342 in February. In February 2020, there were just 28 people waiting this long.
• The longer people wait for treatment, the higher their risk of becoming disabled from heart failure or dying prematurely.
• Average ambulance response time for heart attacks and strokes was 28 minutes in April 2025, down from 29 minutes in March, latest NHS England data reveals.
• The current NHS England average response target for category 2 calls is 30 minutes for 2025/26.
• Before the pandemic, the response target for category 2 calls – which includes suspected heart attacks and strokes - was an average of 18 minutes. However, the target was relaxed due to growing pressure on the NHS, not a change in clinical urgency.
Dr Sonya Babu-Narayan, our Clinical Director and Consultant Cardiologist, said: “Despite progress to reduce waiting lists for other NHS treatment and care, the tide is not turning when it comes to cardiovascular disease.
"Nearly four out of ten people are waiting more than 18 weeks which is too long when it comes to heart conditions where timely care is critical. Long delays at this scale put people at risk of living in ill health or being unable to work due to avoidable heart failure or having their lives cut short.
"But it does not have to be this way. Something can be done. Heart patients need to see a National Cardiovascular Disease Plan to make emergency treatment and planned heart care fit for the future and stop more people from getting heart disease in the first place. More funding of science and technology will enable scientific breakthroughs to better diagnose, treat or prevent cardiovascular disease."