Indirect effects of the pandemic: highlighting the need for data-driven policy and preparedness. Sage Journals

Background: Whether through government reports, such as the Health and Social Care Committee’s ‘Clearing the backlog caused by the pandemic’ publication¹ or recent media coverage, NHS backlogs, now estimated to affect over six million people, are in the spotlight.² How we tackle such backlogs in cardiovascular disease and cancer (diseases which together constitute the largest disease burden in the UK and globally³) is critical for citizens’ health and healthcare delivery during and beyond the pandemic and can inform our response for other diseases.