Cancelled procedures. Missed appointments. Lost lives.
The pandemic continues to cause significant disruption to healthcare with thousands of people currently waiting for life saving heart treatment and care.
Long waits for diagnosis and treatment of conditions like coronary heart disease, abnormal heart rhythms and heart failure are emotionally distressing and increase the risk of someone becoming more unwell or even dying while they wait for vital care.
You can find out more about the impact COVID-19 has had on cardiovascular care in our full report.
In November 2022 we revisited the impact of COVID-19 on cardiovascular care in our new report. Tipping Point explores the heart care crisis, what's caused it, and how we can put heart care back on the front foot.
Thank you for standing by us
Over 3,000 supporters wrote to their MP, urging them to visit our stands at the most recent Labour and Conservative Party conferences.
Thanks to their support, we were able speak to 135 MPs across both conferences, including the Health and Social Care Secretary Sajid Javid MP (left), David Rutley MP (right), and Shadow Health and Social Care Secretary Wes Streeting MP, about the devastating impact of the pandemic on cardiovascular care and the actions needed to ensure the health service has the funding and support it needs to address the backlog.
Government commits to additional funding for the NHS and publishes a recovery plan
During the 2021 autumn Comprehensive Spending Review, the Chancellor Rishi Sunak MP pledged nearly £6bn of funding to help tackle the vast and growing backlog of care, including routine heart care. £2bn of this funding is being spent on the creation of 100 community diagnostics centres across England, which will help people access tests and scans closer to home. We welcomed the additional funding and commitment to create new diagnostic centres - a key recommendation from our Untold Heartbreak report.
In November, we coordinated a cross-party letter signed by 52 MPs and Peers, urging Health and Social Care Secretary Sajid Javid to prioritise the recovery of cardiovascular care within the Government’s forthcoming plan for tackling the backlog.
Since then, NHS England and the Government published an elective recovery plan which outlined how the NHS in England will tackle waiting lists over the next three years. We were pleased to see several recommendations from our Untold Heartbreak report reflected or recommitted to in the Plan. This includes the roll out of surgical hubs and community diagnostic centres along with a pledge to provide personalised support to help patients as they wait for their procedure. However, it failed to provide any new commitments on increasing staffing levels in the NHS and no clear national targets for clearing the heart backlog. It’s vital that this plan is accompanied by a clear strategy for recovering cardiovascular services across the whole health and care system in England, from primary care to urgent and emergency services, so heart patients can access the support they need.
I feel like I’ve just been forgotten. I understand that COVID-19 has placed a huge pressure on the health system, but there are thousands of people with heart conditions who still need care.Diane, heart patient,
Putting an end to the untold heartbreak
The extraordinary challenges faced by our health service
over the last two years have had a profound impact on the care and treatment
for heart patients. The suspension of regular check-ups, increasingly long
waits for ambulances, and potentially life-threatening delays to heart
operations have all contributed to worse physical and mental health for many
people with heart and circulatory diseases, despite the unwavering efforts of
the NHS. And there are two potentially difficult years ahead for heart
patients, with the Government recognising that waiting lists are unlikely to
start declining until 2024.
The BHF will continue to highlight the impact of the
pandemic on the 7.6 million people living with heart and circulatory diseases
in the UK to ensure heart patients can get the essential care they need,
sooner.
If you're an MP, work within the health service, or just want to find out more about our campaign and how you can get involved, email us at [email protected]