MORE THAN 1,500 people could be waiting for heart treatments by spring, the British Heart Foundation warned.
The charity said 1,657 people across the southeast are forecasted to be on a cardiology waiting list
by March.
This is 85% higher than the waiting list before the pandemic began in the UK.
In February last year, there were around 32,000 people in the
south east of England on the waiting list.
This is estimated to be more than 51,000 in seven months time.
The data is based on a worst-case, but possible scenario, the charity said.
This would be due to under-investment in the NHS and increased pressure from Covid-19 in the winter.
The charity has released a new report, The Untold Heartbreak, that warns it could take three to five years to recover to pre-pandemic levels on the wait list.
Long waits for diagnosis and treatment of conditions can lead to more deaths.
There were 5,800 excess deaths from heart and circulatory conditions in the first year of the pandemic in England.
Even in a better case scenario, BHF estimates it would still take at least three years for heart care waiting lists to return to pre-pandemic levels.
The charity said this could be improved if significant action is taken now.
This would include a plan for cardiovascular services and investment to increase capacity.
Professor Sir Nilesh Samani, medical director at the British Heart Foundation, said the pandemic has pushed the NHS towards breaking point.
“Delay in diagnosis and treatment of cardiovascular diseases is not just about improving symptoms, however important that is – it is about saving lives,” he said.
“Getting this right would avoid preventable heartbreak for many families.”
