National Cardiac Audit Programme
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The National Cardiac Audit Programme (NCAP) Annual Report 2025 focuses on evidence the landscape for cardiovascular disease is changing. There is evidence of good practice, but the challenges and pressures continue to be seen across the NHS, including cardiovascular services. In some areas, the data shows waiting lists for cardiovascular elective treatment is getting worse, patients are experiencing longer delays for urgent admissions, and there is significant inequalities and variances in care across the country.
The reports look at the performance of cardiovascular services, shows the positives but illustrates where there are opportunities for improvements. The aim is to raise awareness of the current picture of cardiovascular services across the country and to monitor performance across hospitals and healthcare improvement bodies. Where good practice standards are being met, hospital teams should be applauded but where standards are not met, hospitals should implement a quality improvement programme. These efforts should drive sustainable improvements in patient wellbeing, safety and outcomes.
Of particular concern are the substantial inequalities and variances in care across the country. More work is needed to understand these and to determine which variations are unwarranted and how things can be done to ensure universal and equal access to treatment for everyone.
Despite the many challenges and in what remains a turbulent time for the NHS, progress is being made on the overall quality of care in many areas of cardiology care, with hospitals achieving excellent results for many specific national quality standards.
The Annual Report is accompanied by supporting interactive reports from 10 sub-specialties covered by the audit programme and a dedicated Annual Report for Patients, Carers and the Public, which was supported by the NICOR Community Representative Group (CRG) chair, Sarah Murray and Richard Corder, Alan Keys and Gil Wheeler as patient co-writers, with support from the CRG members. A Welsh version of the Annual Report for Patients, Carers and the Public is also provided.
NCAP Aggregate Report 2025
The report covers the 12 months from 1 April 2023 to 31 March 2024 or, where metrics cover a 3 year period, from 2021/22 to 2023/24, and explores the changing landscape for cardiovascular disease. NCAP now includes 11 cardiovascular audits and registries, 10 of which provide results to this 2025 report.