English health professionals warn of heart disease emergency 2023

Health experts have warned of a heart disease emergency in England, urging NHS heart care prioritising owing to over 100,000 extra deaths since March 2020.

According to The Guardian, official government data shows that over 500 people die needlessly each week from heart disease, heart attacks, or strokes.

The British Heart Foundation (BHF) reported 96,540 cardiovascular deaths since the COVID-19 epidemic began.

Cardiovascular disease mortality have outpaced Covid-19 fatalities.

The BHF believes that NHS cardiac service interruptions, not Covid-19, are causing this continuous increase in excess mortality.

Dr. Sonya Babu-Narayan, a BHF consultant cardiologist and assistant medical director, stressed that while Covid-19 contributed, it no longer accounted for the large number of excess cardiovascular disease fatalities.

Dr. Babu-Narayan attributed needless hospitalization, heart failure-related impairment, and untimely mortality to the NHS’s recent strain and long heart care wait times.

Despite a record number of cardiovascular disease sufferers, a scarcity of NHS professionals and insufficient capacity make it difficult for many to get vital cardiac therapies.

The BHF wants to improve NHS heart care, prevent cardiovascular disease, and find novel treatments and cures.

Dr. Babu-Narayan urged the government to make a long-term commitment to improving cardiovascular care.

Dr. Charmaine Griffiths, the charity’s CEO, also raised worry about the rising number of cardiovascular disease deaths in England and declared a heart and stroke care emergency.

She stressed the need for government action to improve cardiac patients’ lives.

The British Cardiovascular Society’s president, Professor John Greenwood, recognized the substantial excess mortality.

He stressed the need of cardiovascular disease prevention and treatment, as well as staffing up to manage the backlog.

He also stressed the need for a comprehensive government public health policy to promote healthy habits and avoid heart disease.