Heart health has reached a tipping point
In 2021 we reported the devastating impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on the 7.6 million people living with heart and circulatory conditions across the UK.
One year on, the latest NHS statistics in England show that this has only worsened.
Heart care is in crisis. Millions are unable to access routine care and ambulances are taking too long to reach heart attack patients.
In our new report we explore the crisis, what's caused it, and how we can put heart care back on the front foot.
Key findings
- By the end of August 2022, a record 346,000 people were on a cardiac waiting list in England.
- Nearly 1 in 5 heart patients told us their health has deteriorated since the start of the pandemic.
- From the beginning of the pandemic to August 2022, there were 30,000 excess deaths involving coronary heart disease in England.
- Over 7,000 people have been waiting more than year for a heart procedure, shown in the graph below.
A graph showing the steep rise in the number of patients waiting over a year for a heart procedure.
What needs to happen next?
We must unite to push back against this heart disease crisis before it's too late.
That's why the British Heart Foundation is calling for the UK Government to develop a new Heart Strategy, that:
- Puts heart care back on the front foot
- Stops the causes of poor heart health in their tracks
- Supercharges research for the cures of the future
Every three minutes one person in the UK dies due to heart and circulatory diseases.
We need action now. There isn't a moment to lose.
The human impact
Tamsin has been experiencing chest pain and breathlessness since May 2022. She's worried because heart disease runs in her family. Her late mother had her first heart attack when she was just 38.
She found it difficult to get her symptoms taken seriously and had trouble getting a GP appointment.
When her GP referred her to a clinic she should have been seen urgently, but she's been waiting nearly two months so far.
Tamsin's health has been getting worse and she's also struggling with stress and anxiety in light of her family history.
Tamsin is just one of many people who feel they have been left behind. Her story reinforces why a new Heart Strategy is so needed.
I know the NHS is under huge pressure right now...but I'm stuck here waiting in limbo.Tamsin, heart patient,
