A new report published by the British Heart Foundation (BHF) has failed to find a single cardiac rehabilitation programme in the UK that is meeting minimum staffing levels.
Cardiac rehabilitation gives heart patients a 26% greater chance of surviving in the five years following their diagnosis by providing them with medical and lifestyle advice.
This failure to meet the minimum recommended staffing levels is part of an overall shortfall in the provision of cardiac rehabilitation in many areas of the country. In its National Service Framework for Coronary Heart Disease, the UK Government set a target in 2000, that 85% of heart patients in England should be invited to attend cardiac rehabilitation.
The report found that 55% of programmes were significantly under-funded, and that on average, three out of five heart patients in the UK who need rehabilitation do not have access to it. As a result, many patients are denied access to this lifesaving treatment, even though cardiac rehabilitation costs just £600 per patient.
Mike Knapton, director of prevention and care at the British Heart Foundation, said: “Cardiac rehabilitation saves lives but the majority of patients don’t get the service. We are only making minimal progress towards national targets set over eight years ago. The health service needs to give cardiac rehabilitation the same priority they give to treating people with acute heart attacks.”
Currently, London has the lowest rate of cardiac rehabilitation for patients who have suffered a heart attack with only 31% of patients receiving treatment. The highest level of cardiac rehabilitation for patients who have suffered a heart attack is in the North East at 52%, although this still falls short of the recommended Government target.
