The number of patients with serious heart problems forced to wait more than 18 weeks for care has risen fivefold since Covid struck, with some so ill they may die as a consequence of long NHS delays.
More than 163,000 people in England are enduring long waits, some of them in such poor health that doctors fear they will have a heart attack, stroke or die prematurely. The figure was 86,540 in February 2022 and 32,186 in February 2020, according to a Guardian analysis.
