Failing hearts deserve attention

Over the last 2 years, much of the NHS' effort has been rightly directed at the COVID-19 pandemic, with hospitals under pressure from very sick patients and the population-wide vaccination programme roll-out. In the wake of this redirection of effort, people with other conditions, including cancer, cardiovascular disease (CVD) and mobility issues, have had limited access to healthcare, and in many cases, delayed treatment. This is evidenced by the long waiting lists for NHS care and referral to treatment (RTT) waiting times. At the end of June 2022, 6.7 million people were waiting to start treatment, of whom 62.2% had been waiting up to 18 weeks (NHS England (NHSE), 2022), with similar waiting times elsewhere across the UK.

Heart failure affects about 920 000 people and is the only cardiac condition with an increase in prevalence in the UK, with 200 000 new cases every year. Surprisingly, most respondents (87%) in a recent survey did not know the symptoms of heart failure before they were diagnosed and 53% had not heard of the condition until they were diagnosed (Pumping Marvellous Foundation, 2022).