Extreme heart care disruption linked to 30,000 excess deaths

Severe ambulance delays, inaccessible care and ever-growing waiting lists are contributing to heart patients dying needlessly, warns new analysis from the British Heart Foundation. 

Since the pandemic began, there have been just over 30,000 excess deaths involving heart disease – on average over 230 additional deaths a week above expected heart disease death rates. 

Heart disease is among the most prominent diseases involved in the high numbers of excess deaths since the start of the pandemic, the analysis shows. 

The British Heart Foundation says significant and widespread disruption to heart care services is driving the surge in excess deaths involving heart disease in England. 

Latest figures show that average ambulance response times for suspected heart attacks have risen to 48 minutes in England against a target of 18 minutes, while the vast backlog of time-sensitive cardiac care has grown by almost 50 per cent since the pandemic began to nearly 350,000 people.  

Long waits for diagnosis and treatment of conditions like coronary heart disease and abnormal heart rhythms increase the risk of someone developing permanent heart damage, becoming disabled from heart failure, and even dying while waiting for vital care.  

There are also millions of “missing” heart patients, both diagnosed and undiagnosed, who have struggled to access care for conditions that put people at much greater risk of a future heart attack or stroke, like high blood pressure. 

Modelling from NHS England suggests the decline in blood pressure management since the pandemic began could lead to an extra 11,190 heart attacks and 16,702 additional strokes over a three-year period. 

The British Heart Foundation is urging the Government to tackle the heart care crisis head-on with a heart strategy that can deliver for current and future heart patients. 

Chief Executive, Dr Charmaine Griffiths, said: “It is devastating that the ongoing and extreme disruption to heart care has meant that 30,000 more families have lost a loved one. 
 
“Today many hundreds of thousands of people fear that their heart condition could get worse before they get treatment – potentially stopping them from working or enjoying a full life.

“Many more are completely unaware they now have a condition putting them at a greater risk of early death from a heart attack or stroke. 

“There isn’t a moment to lose – the urgent needs of heart patients and NHS staff must be heard.

“As this new Government draws up its priorities for healthcare, a heart strategy must be at the top of the agenda to prevent more heartbreak and needless loss of life.” 

British Heart Foundation Associate Medical Director, Dr Sonya Babu-Narayan, added: “Far too many people continue to face long waits for time-sensitive heart care, putting them at higher risk of becoming more unwell the longer they wait with potentially devastating consequences. 

"Delays on such an extreme scale are likely leading to avoidable emergency admissions, permanent heart damage, disability from heart failure, and early death. 

"There aren’t enough NHS staff to deal with the ever-rising tide of heart problems, and those that remain are overstretched, overwhelmed, and close to leaving.

“This can’t become business as usual – heart care staff need fit-for-purpose facilities and a clear plan so patients can receive their time-critical care, allowing them to lead a fuller, healthier life away from hospital beds and waiting rooms.”  

To read the charity’s new report, click here