February marks the BHF heart month 2026, a national campaign encouraging people to give time to reflect on cardiology diseases, promoting preventative heart health and to help understand how important timely diagnosis and timely treatment is.
Heart disease is one of the leading causes of death for men and women in the UK. When a patient seeks medical attention timing is crucial, many cardiology symptoms develop silently and can often be overlooked or mistaken for other illnesses. Research carried out by the BHF in 2025 saw that 4 in 10 people were waiting more than 18 weeks for routine cardiac care treatment in England, highlighting the growing pressure on cardiology services and the increased risk of delayed diagnosis and treatment.
As we support the British Heart Foundation’s work this February during Heart Month 2026, we are reminded of the importance of both preventative heart health and ensuring that patients receive the safe, timely, and effective medical care they deserve.
Delayed cardiology diagnosis claims are unfortunately far more common than many people realise. At The Medical Law Partnership, it is among the top three most common types of claim we deal with.
The Importance of early diagnosis:
A key message in the BHF’s campaign is that early cardiac diagnosis can save lives.
Heart diseases are one of the most difficult for doctors to diagnose, many heart conditions develop slowly and due to the subtle and non-specific symptoms they can often cross over with other medical conditions, specialised testing and extensive monitoring of symptoms is often required,
While cardiology diagnostic errors do happen, when a patient has been subjected to more pain than necessary, or further complications arise due to delays they may be entitled to make a claim against the medical professional or department responsible. Timing is crucial when diagnosing a patient, earlier diagnosis and treatment significantly increase the likelihood of a better outcome especially with heart conditions.
When diagnosis is delayed:
While Heart Month focuses on prevention and awareness, it also highlights the importance of safe and effective medical care. Medical professionals have a legal duty of care and when the standard of care falls below what is expected the consequences can be detrimental.
A delayed cardiac diagnosis occurs when failures within the diagnostic process prevent a patient from receiving a timely and accurate explanation of their condition, or a delay in access to appropriate treatment.
In cardiology cases, delayed diagnosis can occur in many different ways:
- Delayed diagnosis by a GP, doctor or medical professional:
- If a heart condition is overlooked or mistaken for something else, a patient can suffer huge consequences from the delay in correct remedial treatment.
- Delay in referral of a patient:
- When patients require specialist treatment a delay can lead to serious complications, it’s crucial for specialist cardiac experts to be involved at the appropriate time.
- Test results lost or misinterpreted:
- An important factor when diagnosing cardiac diseases, if test results are delayed it can lead to late treatment and potential worsening of a patient’s condition.
Why the BHF’s Heart Month 2026 matters:
Heart Month is more than just a reminder it inspires people like yourself to listen to your body, to seek medical advice if something does not feel right and expect appropriate care when you do.
At the Medical Law Partnership, we have seen first-hand how delayed cardiac diagnosis can lead to life changing difficulties, reduced treatment options, distress and can even be fatal.
If during this heart month you are reflecting on your own experience and may be concerned or feel as though your heart condition was overlooked or diagnosed later than it could have been, and this has caused you harm, you may have a strong case for compensation. We can assess what went wrong and help you prove that better care could and should have been provided.