How half of heart attack patients miss out on care

NEARLY half of British patients are abandoned to cope without essential care needed after a heart attack, a major audit reveals.

All heart patients should be offered rehabilitation care in the aftermath of an attack, which has been shown to reduce the risk of death by 18 per cent in the next year, and cut re-admissions by 31 per cent.

Yet 68,000 patients – 48 per cent – missed out on cardiac rehabilitation in 2015/ 16, the latest National Audit of Cardiac Rehabilitation revealed. The report authors, from the University of York, said they were particularly worried about women, of whom only 44 per cent took part, compared to 52 per cent of men.

Women tend to have heart attacks at a later age than men, so are more likely to have other health problems. Even for those who did get a referral there was

‘Lifesaving service’

often a delay, with 49 per cent having to wait longer than the recommended 28 days to start a rehabilitation programme.

Rehabilitation involves gentle reintroduction to physical activity, including exercise classes, and guidance on diet. Patients are also given advice on how to live with heart disease and reduce risk of repeat attacks.

Simon Gillespie, chief executive of the British Heart Foundation, which funds the audit, said: ‘It is hugely encouraging that overall more patients are accessing cardiac rehabilitation services but half of heart attack survivors are still missing out on this potentially lifesaving service.’

And Patrick Doherty, professor of cardiovascular health at York University and lead author for the NACR, said: ‘It’s great news that uptake to services is improving, however the quality of some of these is inconstant around the type of delivery and outcomes.’