UK Study: 100K Increase in Heart-Related Deaths Since 2020

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Facts

  • According to a British Heart Foundation (BHF) analysis of government data published Thursday, deaths from cardiovascular disease (CVD) in the UK have risen by 500 per week despite the end of the pandemic. It found roughly 100K excess CVD deaths since spring 2020.1
  • In the third year of the pandemic, there were 27K excess heart deaths compared to 7.8K COVID deaths citing CVD as an underlying cause. Meanwhile, the waiting list for time-sensitive cardiac care has hit a record 390k people.2
  • This comes as average ambulance wait times for heart attacks and strokes last winter rose to 90 minutes and have been consistently above 30 minutes for the past 18 months, compared to the target of 18 minutes.2
  • BHF chief Dr. Charmaine Griffiths said, "If little changes, we could continue to see a sustained rise in death rates from cardiovascular conditions.”3
  • While 839,467 people died from CVD between March 2020 and March 2023 – far above the expected 742,927 – NHS figures also show 2M fewer people had their blood pressure under control in 2021 compared to the year prior.1

Sources: 1The Telegraph, 2Times, and 3Guardian.

Narratives

  • Narrative A, as provided by Guardian. The UK's public health system has rapidly collapsed since the onset of COVID, putting the lives of countless people at risk. In the midst of the chaos, deadly diagnoses were left untreated and vulnerable people were left isolated at home. These latest numbers are merely the aftershocks of a system overwhelmed by the pandemic, with further repercussions undoubtedly yet to come.
  • Narrative B, as provided by Institute of Economic Affairs. COVID was merely the symptom — not the cause — of a failing system that has been overwhelmed for years. A redesign is long overdue, and Britain's health system should be changed to mirror other European universalized models. To do that, the NHS must first be abolished, with the Netherlands, Germany, and Switzerland acting as solid examples the UK could follow while avoiding the completely privatized path of the US.