A leading heart charity has called for change as shocking new figures show more than 8,000 people in England are waiting over a year for cardiac care. This is an astonishing 28,571% increase since 2020.
As reported by the British Heart Foundation (BHF), the overall heart care waiting list in England rose in March 2025. There were 425,372 people waiting for “routine” cardiac care in England at the end of March, up from 421,683 in February.
The list has nearly doubled since March 2021, when it stood at 216,978. However, there was a slight fall in the number of people waiting 18 weeks or more, from 166,381 in February to 165,558 in March.
The proportion of people on the list who have been waiting this long for what is considered time-sensitive cardiac care remains at 39%. There was also a slight fall in the number of people waiting over a year for cardiac care, to 8,028 in March, down from 8,342 in February.
But shockingly, in February 2020, there were just 28 people waiting this long. The BHF warned that the longer people wait for treatment, the “higher their risk of becoming disabled from heart failure or dying prematurely”.
In response to these numbers, Doctor Sonya Babu-Narayan, clinical director and consultant cardiologist at the BHF, said: “Despite progress to reduce waiting lists for other NHS treatment and care, the tide is not turning when it comes to cardiovascular disease. Nearly four out of 10 people waiting more than 18 weeks, which is too long when it comes to heart conditions where timely care is critical.
“Long delays at this scale put people at risk of living in ill health or being unable to work due to heart failure which could have been avoided and having their lives cut short.” Average ambulance response time for heart attacks and strokes was 28 minutes in April 2025, down from 29 minutes in March, the NHS England data shows.
The current NHS England average response target for category 2 calls is 30 minutes for 2025/26. However, it is important to note that before the pandemic, the response target for category 2 calls, which includes suspected heart attacks and strokes, was an average of 18 minutes.
This target was relaxed due to growing pressure on the NHS, not a change in clinical urgency. Dr Babu-Narayan continued: “But it does not have to be this way. Something can be done.
“Heart patients need to see a National Cardiovascular Disease Plan to make emergency treatment and planned heart care fit for the future and stop more people from getting heart disease in the first place. More funding of science and technology will enable scientific breakthroughs to better diagnose, treat or prevent cardiovascular disease.”
In January this year, NHS England announced that access to routine care will be made quicker and easier due to the new elective reform plan. Under the scheme, hundreds of thousands of patients will be able to get directly referred and booked in for tests, checks and scans by their GP for a range of conditions, meaning they don’t have to wait to see a consultant first.
Secretary of state, Wes Streeting, commented: “As patients, we’ve all experienced the hoops you have to jump through to get the test or scan you and your GP know you need. It’s a waste of patients’ time, delays diagnoses when every minute matters, and means consultants are forced to tick boxes rather than treat patients.
“The reforms we’re announcing next week will speed up diagnoses and free up NHS staff to treat more patients.
“Our plan for change will cut waiting lists from a maximum of 18 months to 18 weeks by the end of this Parliament.” On the NHS England website it states the plan will “reform elective care services and meet the 18 week referral to treatment standard” by March 2029.
