Waiting months for emergency referral for heart disease 'national shame'

exclusive GP experts say patients are at risk of serious harm due to long waits at heart clinics with suspected chest pain despite urgent referrals, amounting to a 'national disgrace'. Then he said.

Whereas patients used to be able to see a rapid access chest pain clinic within two weeks, GPs across the country told Pulse that it is now taking months for patients to be seen.

Emergency access clinics are: First introduced over 20 years ago Patients with suspected angina pectoris were targeted as part of a national framework to improve heart disease outcomes.

But GPs say progress has been lost and the system is “no longer safe”.

Professor Derek Connolly, Trustee Primary Care Cardiology Societya consultant cardiologist at Birmingham City Hospital, said his trust was still managing to meet its two-week target, but teams across the country were struggling to ensure they had the capacity to cope with the increase in demand seen since the pandemic. He said that

“Diagnostic tests like CT have long wait times because we don't have enough scanners. I think it's a national shame that this isn't being considered as a priority as it should be. We just don't have the capacity. It's frustrating.

“Heart disease is the leading cause of death in terms of years lost, and the evidence shows that we need to get treatment early to find patients who will benefit from treatment.” Access chest pain clinics should receive the same focus and investment as other areas such as cancer.”

Dr Dave Triska, a general practitioner in Surrey, said the last time he saw him, patients complaining of chest pains had been waiting more than four months to be seen. He added that this would be “terrible” for patients and would lead to “significant harm”. He knows of patients whose results were so bad that they were admitted straight from the clinic.

Professor Carolyn Chew Graham, a GP in Manchester, said patients in her area were waiting up to six months. She said, “The wait time is very long and it's never fast.”

In Nottingham, waiting times can be up to six months, which has changed the way referrals are approached, said Dr Irfan Malik, a general practitioner in Nottingham. “If a patient has chest pain, we send them to A&E or call 999. If the symptoms are less serious and we think they have angina, we refer them to a regular heart clinic, but This can also take several months.'' Even if you have a clinic that has quick access, it doesn't mean anything if it's not fast. ”

There is also currently a six-month wait in Lincolnshire, Dr Phil Williams, a general practitioner in Lincoln, told Pulse.

“The frustrating thing about waiting six months is that it means more and more people with new onset angina will be referred to A&E, putting even more pressure on hospitals. If you have angina almost every day, there are no other safe options,” he said.

Dr Selvaseelan Selvaraja, a general practitioner in east London, said waiting two weeks was once the gold standard for unexplained chest pain. “Currently, there can be two-month waits. There is also an additional wait time between a patient's visit and the test. This further delays ultimate patient care.”

He added that while two months was shorter than for patients in other areas, perhaps because the UK's largest heart center was on the doorstep, it was still too long. “We should treat this with the same urgency as we would treat a patient with suspected cancer.”

Dr Steve Taylor, a general practitioner in Manchester and spokesperson for the British Medical Association, said waiting times for rapid access chest pain clinics were not published, but e-referrals could provide an estimate of waiting times. .

“Currently, we are requesting a diagnosis for someone suspected of having angina, and locally the best time is 47 weeks, and nationally, 15 weeks is the best time 320 miles away,” he said. “This is what he has been doing for two weeks and that's how it should be. It's not possible and safe for both the patient and the GP.”

Professor Azeem Majeed, a GP in south London, also said he had noticed waiting times worsening from two weeks to eight weeks.

“Another problem that clinics have is that many referrals are turned away. This can happen even after a patient has attended A&E and been offered a referral.”

Dr Sonya Babu Narayan, Deputy Medical Director and Consultant Cardiologist at the British Heart Foundation (BHF), said: 'Every minute counts when it comes to heart attacks and strokes, and ambulances responding to these life-or-death emergencies continue to experience significant delays.

“At the same time, wait times for planned cardiac treatments remain near record highs. Neglecting time-sensitive cardiac care can lead to avoidable death and disability.

“We are deeply concerned that delays and cancellations of potentially life-saving cardiac treatments are becoming commonplace and almost predictable. Patients and their families need this crisis to end quickly. yeah.”

Research shows that heart disease is one of the leading causes of illness. Continued levels of excess deaths recorded since the pandemic.

NHS England has been contacted for comment.