Charity says NHS disruption driving increase in heart deaths

The British Heart Foundation has warned that extreme disruption to NHS services has been driving a sharp rise in heart disease deaths since the start of the pandemic.

 

The charity said ambulance delays, inaccessible care and surgery waits are linked to 30,000 excess cardiac deaths in England, and has called for a new strategy to reduce “unacceptable” waiting times.

 

The government has said it is investing another £500m to boost hospital capacity and ease pressure on ambulances.

 

The BHF said its analysis suggests 395,000 people in England could be on a waiting list for a heart procedure or test by April 2023 based on current trends, up from 224,000 before the start of the pandemic.

 

Analysis of NHS data showed that 346,129 people were waiting for time-critical cardiac care at the end of August 2022, up 49 per cent since February 2020.  It went on to say that 7,467 patients had been waiting for longer than a year for a heart procedure, 267 times higher than before the pandemic.

 

At the same time, according to the latest NHS figures, the average ambulance response time for a suspected heart attack has increased to 48 minutes in England against a target of 18 minutes.

 

The BHF said difficulty accessing face to face hospital and GP care may also have contributed to the rise.

 

Chief executive of the charity, 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.

 

“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.”

 

Chadwick Lawrence’s specialist team of clinical negligence lawyers have years of experience in medical negligence claims, providing support and guidance after life-changing events.  Not only do we represent clients in Yorkshire, but because of our reputation we also represent clients nationally.

 

If you believe that you or a relative may have been injured as a result of clinical/medical negligence, please call for free legal advice from our medical negligence solicitors on the freephone number below.

 

Posted by Karen Motley, Clinical Negligence Department, Chadwick Lawrence LLP (tonymay@chadlaw.co.uk ), medical negligence lawyers and clinical negligence solicitors in Huddersfield, Leeds, Wakefield and Halifax, West Yorkshire.

 

Freephone : 0800 304 7382