NHS cardiac care is falling behind and the number of deaths among under-75s is at its highest in more than a decade, a major government report has said.
The review by cancer surgeon and former health minister Lord Darzi will warn that the state of NHS care is undoing progress made in the 1970s on heart disease and waiting times.
It is expected to highlight how long waits for ambulances and emergency surgery after heart attacks are causing deaths to rise again.
Cardiovascular patients also face a “postcode lottery” in some parts of the UK.
The report, commissioned by the new Labour government, aims to tackle what Sir Keir Starmer calls the “broken NHS”.
The review by cancer surgeon and former health minister Lord Darzi (pictured) will warn that the state of NHS care is undoing progress made in the 1970s on heart disease and waiting times.
Cardiovascular patients also face a “postcode lottery” in some parts of the UK (file image)
The results, due to be published on Thursday, are likely to shape the government’s 10-year plan to “radically reform the NHS”.
Lord Darzi will warn that children’s health faces a deadly crisis, with life-threatening illnesses, obesity and infectious diseases on the rise.
British Heart Foundation chief executive Dr Charmaine Griffiths said: “It is encouraging to hear that the review will recognise the huge challenges facing cardiovascular care and the 6.4 million people living with heart and circulatory disease in England.”
The number of people dying before the age of 75 in England has risen to the highest level in 14 years, the charity said, from a low of 71 per 100,000 people in 2019 to 79 per 100,000.
