EXCLUSIVE: Former England footballer furious with two-day hospital wait for heart issue - 'It was diabolical'
The 61-year-old former Spurs, Manchester City and Liverpool midfielder went to Blackpool Victoria Hospital A&E in his car. He was diagnosed with Atrial fibrillation, and is on a waiting list for further surgery after two operations to treat the condition.
Former England star Paul Stewart endured an agonising wait for NHS treatment despite suffering severe heart pain.
The 61-year-old former Spurs, Manchester City and Liverpool midfielder went to Blackpool Victoria Hospital A&E in his car. He was diagnosed with Atrial fibrillation, known as AF, several years ago. He is on a waiting list for further surgery after two operations to treat the condition.
It causes the heart to beat irregularly and is not usually life threatening in itself. But Paul, now a safeguarding campaigner, was concerned that he may have suffered a heart attack as his chest pains were so severe. The account of his ordeal comes after the Mirror told of the scandal of long waiting times inside A&E departments across the country in a report by Age UK.
He said: "I went to A&E at around 8am and then was taken for cardiac treatment but was just left waiting. I said to the nurse 'what's happening? as I could see my heart rate was going up.
"I was there until late in the evening but the nurse said: 'There is no one to see you'. The pain in my chest was so severe at first that I thought that I was having a heart attack.
"When there was no one in the cardiac team available, I went home. It was diabolical."
Paul had noticed that his heart rate had risen to around 156 beats a minute while he was in hospital. He again suffered severe chest pain overnight, and returned to the hospital at 7am the next day.
"I again waited for hours on a bed," added Paul. "Eventually, on the evening of the second day, I received some medication.
"It lowers the heart rate and I will monitor it until I can have another operation. They use an electric shock to stop the heart beating irregularly. I am on a waiting list for that."
Paul has worked tirelessly to protect young sports stars from abuse up and down the country. He is being recognised by the Football Association with the Sir Bobby Charlton award for services to football.
He is due to be presented with the accolade before England's clash with Serbia in the World Cup qualifier at Wembley on Nov 13. Paul, a dad-of-three, began his support for young footballers after we told his own harrowing story in November, 2016. He revealed horrific abuse at the hands of his late junior coach Frank Roper for the first time.
Maggie Oldham, Chief Executive at Blackpool Teaching Hospitals said: “It would be inappropriate for us to comment on an individual’s care.
"We would encourage anyone with any concerns about their treatment to reach out through our patient relations team.”