230 ‘needless’ deaths each week in heart care crisis

DISRUPTION to heart care services has contributed to more than 30,000 excess deaths involving heart disease since the pandemic began, a charity says.

Analysis by the British Heart Foundation (BHF) revealed that on average 230 more people died per week in England than would usually be expected. It warned patients were dying due to the extension of NHS ambulance response times, problems accessing services and a vast cardiac care backlog.

BHF chief Dr Charmaine Griffiths said: “The extreme disruption to heart care has meant 30,000 more families have lost a loved one.

“Many hundreds of thousands of people fear their heart condition could get worse before they get treatment – potentially stopping them from working or enjoying a full life. There isn’t a moment to lose – the urgent needs of heart patients and NHS staff must be heard.”

The BHF’s report said Covid-19 had likely been a driver of excess heart disease deaths during the first year of the pandemic. Research suggests obesity and high blood pressure increase risk of heart problems and severe coronavirus.

However, now that Covid is no longer a driving force, the charity fears bottlenecks in access to services are the main reason unusually high death rates persist.

At the end of August there were a record 346,129 people waiting for cardiac treatment – up 49 per cent since February 2020. The average ambulance response time for suspected heart attacks in September was 48 minutes, against a target of 18 minutes.

The charity said there are also millions of “missing” patients who have struggled to access routine care for conditions such as high blood pressure, which increase risk of heart attack and stroke.

Modelling from NHS England suggested the decline in blood pressure management since the pandemic began could lead to an extra 11,000 heart attacks and almost 17,000 strokes over a three year period.

The BHF is urging ministers to develop a national heart strategy and deliver a fully-funded NHS workforce plan to tackle chronic staff shortages.