Full story at The Independent 18 January 2018
Thousands of heart attack survivors are missing out on potentially life-saving support to help them recover after being hospitalised, a charity has found.
The British Heart Foundation’s 2017 audit of cardiac rehabilitation services in the UK found that almost half of patients with a heart condition are missing out on programmes which could help them live longer after treatment.
Studies have shown participation in a rehabilitation scheme decreases the likelihood of patients dying in the next 12 months by around 18 per cent.
It also lowers the chances of the patient having to be readmitted to hospital, by as much as one third.
But the audit show that just 48 per cent of per cent of the 133,000 patients where a rehabilitation programme is recommended are taking up the support, but many aren’t even being referred to schemes by hospitals.