Heart treatment waiting lists in the UK have increased for the third consecutive month, again bucking the trend for overall waiting lists to fall.

The latest NHS England figures released today show that the heart disease waiting list in England reached 408,548 people at the end of February 2024, an increase of 487 people on the previous month. This is approaching the all-time high of 409,541 people set in September 2023.

The new numbers also show:

• The growth in heart care waiting lists bucks that trend, with the overall NHS waiting list in England falling by 36,198 people in February 2024.

• The cardiac care waiting list in February 2024 increased by 105,576 people, an increase of 35% compared to February 2022, two years ago.

• As of the end of February 2024, the number of people waiting more than four months for potentially life-saving cardiac care has increased. More than a third (40%) of all people on heart care waiting lists have been waiting longer than 18 weeks for care.

• The number of people waiting more than a year for urgent heart tests or treatment fell to 10,212 from 10,304 in February. Only 28 people waited this long in February 2020.

• The latest average response time for Category 2 ambulances in England, including suspected heart attacks and strokes, was just under 34 minutes in March 2024. This is down from 36 minutes in February 2024.

• Response times for Category 2 calls, which include suspected heart attacks and strokes, remain above the pre-pandemic target of 18 minutes. NHS England and the Government have set a target of an average of 30 minutes for 2024/25. This goal was achieved in just one month from April 2023.

The longer a person waits for treatment, the greater the risk of disability and early death from heart failure.

Dr Sonya Babu Narayan, Associate Medical Director and Consultant Cardiologist at the British Heart Foundation, said:

“Timely heart treatment is not a luxury we cannot live without. Long wait times put people at risk of avoidable heart attack, heart failure and even premature death.

“As we reported earlier this year, the extreme and continued pressure on NHS cardiac care alongside Covid-19 has led to several This is one of the factors.

“Bold action is needed to prioritize life-saving NHS cardiac care and end these painful waiting times.”

We launched the ‘Hearts Need More’ campaign, calling on politicians from all parties to prioritize the care of cardiovascular disease in the run-up to the next general election and when a new government is formed.

why our hearts need more