The Faversham pensioner waiting more than a year and half for heart treatment

81-year-old Dot Addley says her experience has left her feeling isolated.

Transcript

00:00After a year and a half, Dot's waiting list ordeal is nearly over.

00:05The 81-year-old from Fathersham first showed signs of a blockage in her right artery in 2022.

00:14Now, after years of uncertainty, she is two weeks away from vital treatment

00:20that will reduce her risk of heart attacks and strokes.

00:24You know, I appreciate there's deserving people on the waiting list before me, obviously,

00:30but to wait eight, nine months, you know, for something that's going to

00:39make such a difference and should be available.

00:43It is potentially life-saving, isn't it?

00:45Yeah, yeah. And I was living my best life. You know, retirement is fantastic.

00:51And I, you know, with friends, I was really living my best life

00:56and it would be wonderful to get back to that.

00:59Over the last few months, Dot's condition has gotten worse.

01:04She's become increasingly breathless when leaving the house

01:09and now this garden here is the full extent of her going outside at all.

01:15I do now feel isolated because even socialising is exhausting.

01:22You know, tremendous fatigue, like, you know, literally can't even lift a finger.

01:27So, yes, socially, it's been almost damaging.

01:32In Kent, there are nearly 15,000 people waiting for heart care

01:38and more than 1,000 waiting longer than a year.

01:43There is appetite for change.

01:4640,000 people have now signed a petition as part of the British Heart Foundation's campaign

01:52to fix what they call a historic heart crisis,

01:57calling for better prevention, timely treatment and more research.

02:02We hear from people every day at the British Heart Foundation

02:05that are experiencing long waits for care.

02:08And we know that there are over 420,000 people in England

02:12currently on a waiting list for cardiac care.

02:14These long waits can be really dangerous,

02:16so they can increase risk of disability and early death.

02:19So it's clear to us that we are in the grip of a heart care crisis

02:24and really that is why we've launched the Hearts Need More campaign,

02:28which is seeking to highlight this.

02:30Labour have said that cutting wait times and death from heart disease

02:34is a priority for their government.

02:36We also reached out to the Department of Health for a statement.

02:40While Dot's treatment may be just in the nick of time,

02:44the thousands across Kent still on waiting lists

02:47will be watching to see whether health officials

02:50have their fingers on the pulse in the coming months.

02:53Oliver Leeders-Saxe for KMTV in Faversham.