CARLETON man Bill Harbour is living with a timebomb after being told he has to wait up to 18 months for vital heart surgery.

Bill, 61, is in need of a heart bypass operation after suffering a heart attack in April last year.

But lengthy waiting lists at Leeds General Infirmary mean he must wait between 15 and 18 months for the operation to take place.

In the meantime he is living with a narrowed artery which could prove fatal at any time.

"I am living with a timebomb - every day is a bonus," said Bill. "My artery is narrowed and if my cholesterol is high and the fat moves and jams it, I am dead."

Bill's plight was highlighted on breakfast television on Monday when he was interviewed by Dr Hilary Jones for GMTV.

The interview followed the appointment of National Heart Director Dr Roger Boyle who will oversee a £50 million Government initiative to reduce deaths from heart disease - one of the country's biggest killers.

It is estimated that coronary heart disease kills 110,000 people a year, and the Government is hoping to save 20,000 lives a year by transforming the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of the illness.

But Bill says it is merely a "political move".

"I am not blaming this Government, the one before that or the next one. I just feel let down by the system. I am not just speaking out for myself, there are other people in the same boat."

Following treatment for his heart attack last year, Bill started a programme of rehabilitation at Airedale General Hospital, Steeton.

But during a spell on the treadmill, staff noticed his heart was not working as well as it should.

An angiogram in November last year finally revealed the blockage and Bill was told he would have to see a heart surgeon at Leeds General Infirmary.

The appointment came back for February 16 this year - a full 10 months after he suffered the heart attack.

And it wasn't until he saw the consultant that he realised just how serious his condition was.

He told the Herald: "I said I was doing exercise and going out on my bike and he (the specialist) advised me not to go out on a bike. I said what about holidays but he said you do it at your own risk but make sure you go where there are good medical facilities.

"I never realised how serious it was until then."

Bill is now undergoing stress management counselling at Airedale Hospital which he says has helped him come to terms with the situation. "If you can get this operation done you are a new man and you can get on with your life," he added.

This week, a spokesman for The Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust said: "We can confirm that the current waiting time for an elective coronary artery bypass in Leeds is up to 17 months.

"There is a national recruitment problem with cardiac theatre nursing staff and attempts to recruit skilled staff to enable a fifth cardiac theatre to open has proved difficult.

"This has delayed the opening of the theatre which, along with the winter pressures caused by the flu outbreak and the increasing emergency workload, has resulted in longer waiting times for cardiac surgery.

"The fifth theatre has now opened and we are hoping this extra capacity will enable us to get on and tackle the waiting times to ensure patients are treated as soon as possible."

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