"Cardiology's long waiting list might cost my father's life. "

After having had a heart attack 5 years ago (treated abroad) my father started experiencing heart problems again about a year and a half ago.

These problems kept getting progressively worse and his symptoms aggravating rather quickly. Initially we saw a Cardiologist in Castle Hill, Hull (after waiting 3 months for the appointment) who prescribed my Dad new medication and told him to come back in 3 months. After two months there was no change (he kept getting worse in fact) and we tried to make another appointment only to be told we had to wait another 2 months since the doctor didn't consider his case to be urgent enough.

Two weeks later my Dad was in the ER and admitted to the Hospital where he spent 2 weeks. At the hospital it was a whole other experience altogether, it felt as if doctors didn't know what was happening, the cardiologists blamed the lungs, the lung specialist blamed the heart My Dad would go 2 whole days without being seen by ANY doctor (this is while being admitted IN hospital, I wonder how does this happen??). In the end he was sent home with one new medication, doctors telling us he was fine and they didn't know what had happened, and to come back in 3 months!!!

My father left the hospital, after a two week stay, with the SAME symptoms, no explanation, and an appointment in 3 months. Needless to say, my father kept getting worse and worse. It turns out his angiography was badly performed and might need a new one, but no one is doing anything about it.

After waiting for an appointment for 3 months, we go to the specialist only to be told he needs to consult with another doctor before he does anything because he's not sure what to do, he promises it won't take more than 2 weeks to see a doctor again.

In the meantime my Dad's symptoms are a lot worse and this doctor didn't even change his medication, he DIDN'T DO ANYTHING. 3 weeks later I hear back from them telling me my Dad was referred to another doctor (the one who performed the angiography badly, by the way) and it will take another 6 weeks for an appointment!!! At this point my father can't walk even around the house without being short of breath. He sleeps sitting up on a chair because he can't lie down and has palpitations every day, amongst other things. This is apparently not a serious problem to doctors. They keep telling me that if he gets worse I should take him to the ER. I am concerned that he may get worse, has another heart attack and doesn't survive. Is preventative medicine not practiced AT ALL within the NHS???

I need to know what to do, how to get an appointment faster, how to get a doctor to CARE about what's happening. He's been dealing with this for over a year and NO ONE seems to care enough to help him, they seem to be waiting for him to be dying in order to do something. Do we have options?? or are we at the mercy of wait lists?? It's now been 4 months since he was in hospital, he keeps getting worse and no one is doing anything, they're making us wait another 2 months to see a cardiologist and I honestly don't know if he'll make it Unfortunately we can't afford the £200 it costs one visit with a private doctor (who, by the way, is the same doctor who saw him at the NHS and didn't do anything to begin with).

I need help and advise please.

Thank you.