Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the report by the British Heart Foundation entitled Excess deaths involving CVD in England since the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic: an analysis and explainer, published in June 2023, what assessment he has made of the causes of the changes in the level of cardiovascular disease since the start of the pandemic in England.

Evidence on excess mortality attributable to non-COVID-19 related causes implies that it is likely due to a combination of factors. This may include disruption to routine care during the first two years of the pandemic, lifestyle factors and disruption to emergency care and urgent elective procedures.