Nearly 100,000 Waiting for Serious Cardiac Care in England
Nearly 100,000 people with serious heart problems in England are having to suffer from long waits to get any life-saving surgery or treatment they may need.
The British Heart Foundation (BHF) has warned that some are “living on borrowed time” and that many are suffering from such poor health that they may die because of having to wait for so long to get any care.
What does the data say?
A BHF analysis of data from NHS England has shown that patients waiting the maximum of 18 weeks for serious cardiac care is up by three times the amount it was pre-Covid. The levels in February 2020 were at 32,186 and have now increased massively to 96,321 – up by more than 64,000 patients waiting to get care.
Out of the 96,321 patients waiting for heart surgery or care, nearly 5000 people have been waiting a year which is a stark increase from just 28 people who were waiting for at least a year before the pandemic. Of those high number of patients, 95 have been waiting a staggering two years or more.
How is it affecting patients?
Typically, patients are waiting for procedures such as stents and balloons inserted to re-open blocked arteries, as well as pacemakers and defibrillators fitted, and open-heart surgery. Some patients who have already had heart attacks or a stroke are in desperate need of surgery to prevent it from happening again.
This large rise in patients requiring cardiac care was revealed yesterday (Thursday 16th June) and the latest performance data from NHS England shows that overall, 6.5 million people are waiting for planned hospital treatment or surgery.
Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, Sajid Javid, has said that this number is likely to increase because of the demand of people seeking medical care after the pandemic – when they were unable to do so.
If your condition has gotten worse because of any medical negligence or delays in surgery, First4Lawyers could help you get the compensation you’re entitled to. Just give us a call or start your claim online.
