Hearts Need More: a call for a Heart Disease Action Plan
Our report highlights the need for a comprehensive Heart Disease Action Plan from the Government. It outlines the bold steps required to better prevent, treat and find innovative cures for cardiovascular disease.
Download the full report or read its main points on this page.
- Download the full report (PDF, 13.4MB, 22 pages)
What's on this page
Why we need a Heart Disease Action Plan
Over the last 60 years, we’ve made great progress in reducing early death from heart and circulatory diseases in the UK. But today, this lifesaving progress is at risk.
As of 2022, more people under the age of 75 are dying from heart and circulatory diseases than at any time in the last 14 years.
The reasons are complex, but we believe there are some key factors involved:
- an ageing population
- an increasingly unhealthy population
- growing inequalities in many parts of the UK
- the continued impact of the pandemic.
The economic case for tackling cardiovascular disease
Improving the cardiovascular health of our nation can help deliver economic growth.
The annual cost of cardiovascular disease (CVD) healthcare in England is an estimated £10bn. The wider cost to the economy, which includes long-term care for stroke and vascular dementia, disability and informal costs like lost workdays, is £24bn.
A significant portion of these costs are driven by economic inactivity or caring for a loved one. Many people with long-term health conditions need more time off work for treatment or recovery. This can lead to them being out of work for long periods.
In the UK, cardiovascular disease is the 5th most reported condition among people who are economically inactive due to poor health.
Making health inequalities a priority
Health inequalities are the unfair and mostly preventable differences in how healthy different groups of people are.
There are significant inequalities in heart disease risk and outcomes that are influenced by:
- where people grow up and live
- ethnicity
- gender
and other characteristics.
Alongside these social and environmental causes of inequalities, there are also biases within our health and research systems that contribute further to unequal cardiovascular outcomes.
To improve health outcomes fairly, the UK Government must focus on those who are most unfairly affected.
What’s needed in a Heart Disease Action Plan
The challenge we face is not to be underestimated. CVD remains one of the UK’s biggest killers. This report should be a clear warning to the new UK Government to take urgent action.
We need a practical framework to address the challenges of CVD and to help transform the lives of millions of people across the UK. A Heart Disease Action Plan is what’s needed to bring about this change.
To put an end to the heart care crisis, the UK Government needs to do 3 things:
1. Better prevent heart disease
Around 70% of CVD cases in the UK are preventable and can be linked to risk factors that can be changed, such as obesity, tobacco and air pollution. The goal of the UK Government must be to create an environment where everyone can live in good health for longer.
To achieve this, the UK Government must commit to:
- creating a healthier food environment by implementing advertising restrictions and encouraging industry reformulation of less healthy foods
- introducing a ‘polluter pays’ tobacco levy and raise the age of sale of tobacco
- introducing a new Clean Air Act to improve air quality and protect public health.
2. Get heart patients the right care at the right time
At the end of June 2024, the waiting list for time-critical heart care procedures reached 426,460 in England alone – this is the highest figure on record. We also know that thousands of people in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland have been waiting far too long for cardiac tests and treatments.
Timely, specialist care is critical to prevent disability and premature death from cardiovascular disease. Addressing this heart care crisis must be a priority.
The UK Government must:
- ensure more people living with risk factors for heart attack and stroke are found and treated
- maximise capacity to deal with cardiac waiting lists
- ensure the cardiology workforce is fit for now and the future.
3. Supercharge cardiovascular research
Over the past 60 years, the UK has led the way in cardiovascular disease research, with BHF at the centre of these efforts. But heart and circulatory diseases have suffered from a lack of investment when compared to the impact they have on people’s lives and how common they are.
In addition, there are barriers to carrying out clinical research (lack of time and staff in the NHS) and to attracting top research and innovation talent from outside the UK (high visa costs and restrictive immigration rules).
For the UK to reach its full research potential, the UK Government must:
- increase investment in UK research and development (R&D) and ensure funding for cardiovascular research matches its impact on society
- build clinical research capacity in the NHS
- ensure the UK is an attractive place to carry out research.