Oral question asked in the House of Lords, by Lord Kamall (Conservative). It was answered on Thursday, 12 March 2026.

NHS: Heart Valve Disease

Question: My Lords, I am grateful to the Minister for giving me time for this question. She will be aware that studies analysed in around 155,000 diagnoses of aortic stenosis in England have found that women were significantly less likely to be referred to specialists and far less likely to receive valve replacement. This also applies to patients from deprived areas and in some ethnic minority groups. What assessment have the Government made of these disparities and what action are the noble Baroness’s department and NHS England taking to ensure that patients have access to heart valve treatment regardless of their gender, ethnicity or where they live?

Answer: The noble Lord is quite right: women are underdiagnosed, they are undertreated and some ethnic minority groups face poorer access. That is why I very much welcome the fact that, in the framework to which I referred, dealing with inequalities will be absolutely key. Research, in which we are partnering with the British Heart Foundation, will focus on tackling inequalities in higher-risk groups as well as unequal cardiovascular disease outcomes. Inequalities and tackling them will be at the heart of all our acceleration of progress as well as our research.

Secondary information

Type: Oral question
Reference: 854 c437
Session: 2024-26
Oral question type: Supplementary
Chamber / Committee: House of Lords chamber
Subjects: Health services Older people Palliative care Research Screening Heart valve disease
Link: View this Oral question on hansard.parliament.uk