A HEART attack survivor wants coronary treatment to be made available in west Cumbria after having to wait days to be treated at a hospital 40 miles away.

Mary Butler, of Mirehouse, Whitehaven, suffered a heart attack on July 24 last year and was taken to A&E at West Cumberland Hospital.

The 62-year-old then had to wait several days for a bed to become available at the Cumberland Infirmary in Carlisle while doubled over in pain.

Ms Butler has shared her story after reading about stroke victim Pauline Cattanach, in The Whitehaven News last week.

Mrs Cattanach was taken to the Cumberland Infirmary after suffering a stroke at her Cleator Moor home, and tragically died five weeks later.

Ms Butler says it is an "absolute travesty" that medical emergencies such as heart attacks and strokes cannot be treated at West Cumberland Hospital.

She now wants to start a campaign to have coronary care facilities made available at the hospital.

Describing the night of her heart attack, Ms Butler said: "I'd had pain all day at work.The heart attack woke me up not long after I'd gone to bed. The ambulance took me to A&E on the Saturday night. I got moved on to a ward Sunday morning. I was doubled over with the pain.

"Everybody on the coronary care were brilliant. A nurse kept coming all day Monday saying, I've phoned Carlisle, I've reminded them that you're here and we need to take you there."

Ms Butler was eventually taken to The Cumberland Infirmary by ambulance at 2am on the Tuesday morning.

She said: "All this time, I'm in pain. The pain was really bad in my chest. I got there at 3am and was put on a high dependency unit."

Ms Butler had an angiogram on the Tuesday afternoon and a stent was put in. She was able to go home the following day.

She said: "I didn't know what the angiogram was going to throw up. I didn't know whether I was going to live or die. The feeling of being miles from everyone and everything you know exacerbates the fear.

"While I was up at the West Cumberland Hospital, I felt like my friends and family were just kind of at the other side of the walls. I felt so isolated once I got to Carlisle. Miles and miles from home. I think everybody must be in that position.

"It's a postcode lottery. If I'd had that heart attack in Carlisle, I'd have been straight into hospital for them to deal with it.

"I was lucky a bed became available. Some people are waiting even longer.

"I just can't believe there's this new £40 million hospital and we can't treat heart attacks up there."

A spokesperson for the North Cumbria Integrated Care NHS Foundation Trust, said: "While we are not able to comment on specific patient care, we can explain the process in place across the county for patients who have had a heart attack.

"If a patient has a heart attack and requires immediate intervention the patient will be transferred immediately to the Heart Centre at the Cumberland Infirmary. Typically this is identified by paramedics, however if the patient arrives at A&E at the West Cumberland Hospital they would be immediately transferred.

"If a patient has a heart attack but remains stable they are admitted to the closest coronary care unit – at either West Cumberland Hospital or the Cumberland Infirmary to be monitored and assessed by a consultant cardiologist.

"During this time they will receive appropriate medical treatment and if it is decided they require intervention the patient will then be transferred to the Heart Centre at the Cumberland Infirmary. We prefer to admit people as close to home as possible where we can until they require transfer.

"The development of the Heart Centre at the Cumberland Infirmary has made significant improvements, as prior to its establishment all patients were transferred to the north east.

"The Trust has secured over £3m for two new catheter laboratories which will reduce waiting times and improve service quality for patients across north and west Cumbria."