Why it Matters

In 2004 I had a heart attack while on a cruise ship in the North Sea. The ship's medical people worked hard to stabilise my heart but it was not looking good. It was also clear that 'time was of the essence', so much so that, rather than waiting until we reached a port, a large Royal Norwegian helicopter was rustled up to do a lift off the deck and take me to a cardiac unit in the middle of Denmark (some 160 miles). I came out of sedation in the catheter suite after an angioplasty with a stent. This caused great inconvenience to the ships company and passengers and considerable cost, but was done without hesitation because of urgent need for treatment.

In 2011 I had a further attack and my heart required a re stenting in the same artery. My wife drove me to Torbay Hospital A&E, and from triage I was taken directly to the Cardiac Ward and assessed for surgery which was carried out expeditiously. Once again "time was of the essence".

I would not want to speculate on the outcome if there had been a delay via a road journey to Exeter.

On 8 December 2023 I was working from home at the dining room table at around 8.30, when I was conscious of a sensation in my chest. I wasn't sure if it was indigestion, whether I had bruised or put pressure on my sternum or whether it was a respiratory issue because I had never experienced this specific sensation.

My wife usually goes to yoga on a Friday morning but on this occasion she had cancelled. At around 9.30 she asked if I would like a coffee, which I appreciated and while she set up the machine I went to the loo upstairs on the ground floor. As I got up the stairs the sensation increased, I leant on the banister and then tried sitting, lying and standing. The sensation did not go away and I was short of breath. After a few moments debate we decided to head for A&E - with Lindy driving rather than risk waiting for an ambulance which we had no confidence would be available any time soon.

I'm informed that it took approximately 13 minutes to cross town to A&E at Torbay hospital. During the journey I was becoming more uncomfortable. My wife was becoming more worried. At A&E we abandoned the car at the door and my wife, Lindy, supported me and helped me in. We went straight to triage despite being told we had to register first. I was assessed within 10 minutes and put into an observation room for ECG and BP monitoring. I think I was also administered aspirin or similar. Within a short time, I was being wheeled across the hospital and straight into the Cath Lab where a team was already prepping and in attendance. There were quite a few people in an observation area, presumably student observers behind a glass screen. The team were brilliant and explained what was about to happen. Access was via my right wrist and a stent was inserted into the right atrium by Mr Hassoon, where a blockage had occurred.

I was then transported to the Cardiology ward and I arrived around lunch time, so from dining room table to recovery ward was less than 3 hours.

Given that I was on the verge of unconsciousness in triage then I am certain that if we had waited for an ambulance and blue light to Exeter would have taken far more time than between my wife's prompt action and completion of the primary intervention. I can only speculate on the alternative outcome but the likelihood is that I would at best have suffered permanent damage or at worse I would never have seen my grandson who was born a few weeks ago.

The experience does not end there. The scans and X-rays had shown that an artery on the left side was also narrowing and so I was booked in for a further preventative procedure. However, due to the large influx of patients coming in from Exeter and Devon Hospital, my procedure was postponed a couple of times while the teams dealt with other emergencies and patients from other regions. The cardiology ward was close to capacity on more than one occasion with a steady stream of patients coming and going, of all ages and conditions including a teenage boy, a strapping athletic man in his 20's or early 30's, patients on route to Derriford for bypass surgery etc.

I was eventually taken down for a further 2 stents and balloons to be fitted.

In conclusion, the team and facilities within the Cardiology Unit at Torbay were marvellous. To lose these facilities will inevitably result in a sharp increase in deaths or significant life long damage.

Whilst I don't have specific experience of negative or positive service from the cardiac units in either Torquay or Exeter hospitals, I do have very relevant negative experience of being transferred from my local general hospital to a centre of excellence.

Nearly fifteen years ago, I had a major heart attack. At that time we were living in Tunbridge Wells in Kent. Our local hospital was The Kent and Sussex Hospital in Tunbridge Wells. The decision was made to transfer me to the recently opened Centre of Excellence at the William Harvey Hospital in Ashford, Kent.

Unfortunately, I decided to have a heart attack in the middle of the morning rush hour, and it took over an hour to reach Ashford and I now know that I came close to dying in the care of the paramedics in the ambulance.

The team at William Harvey could not be faulted, I was taken immediately for cardiac surgery and my life was saved by the insertion of a stent.

However, the delay and time taken to transport me to the CoE left me with a heart with only 70% of normal function, and me suffering from heart failure for the rest of my life.

I count myself lucky, but I have no doubt that establishing a CoE remote from Torquay WILL cost lives.

My husband was very ill after a holiday abroad and I had to call an ambulance at 2am. He had had a heart valve replacement at Derriford a year before. When he arrived at Torbay he was immediately assessed as having very low blood pressure and Dr Griffin attended him. He needed immediate treatment and it was suggested he had a pacemaker fitted, which happened within the day. I doubt very much that he would have survived the journey to the RD and E at 2am.

We will always be grateful for the prompt action at Torbay and now seven years later he is still alive and well.

If it weren't for the cardiac unit at Torbay Hospital, my mum would not be here today. And if she wasn't here, I would be without my mother, my best friend—and my children would be growing up without their grandmother. Our family would be without our matriarch.

In 2020, my mum, Tracey, suffered a heart attack. Thanks to the swift and expert action of the team at Torbay Hospital, she was fitted with a stent and her life was saved. Just weeks later, she suffered a second, even more devastating heart attack. She flatlined and was placed in an induced coma. We were told her chances of survival were under 45%. But the team at Torbay never gave up. They didn't see a number—they saw a person, a family, a life worth fighting for.

And fight they did. My mum pulled through. She recovered. She returned to work. She is now an active, irreplaceable part of my life and her grandchildren's lives. Two years ago, the ICD device fitted by the Torbay cardiac team saved her life yet again when her heart rhythm suddenly went haywire. That device, that care, and those people are the reason she's alive today—sat here in front of you.

Had this unit been based in Exeter, my mum would not have survived the journey. We would have lost her. We would not have been able to support her through recovery the way we did. The outcome would have been irreversible and life-altering—for our entire family.

Moving this unit five years ago would have shattered my life. Moving it now will have the same impact for families across Torbay. This isn't just about convenience; it's about survival. It's about giving families like mine a chance to stay whole.

The cardiac unit at Torbay doesn't just save lives—it sustains communities. Taking it away will cost lives and permanently alter the futures of countless families. Please don't let that happen.

Hi, I'm Sarah. In 2015 my mum had a heart attack at home. The amazing paramedics worked hard for 17 minutes to bring her back to life. She was taken to Torbay Hospital where she had emergency surgery and was put in a coma to help her body heal. Unfortunately she did pass due to her organs failing with how long she was not breathing.

The amazing cardiac team at Torbay Hospital made it possible for my family to come and say their final goodbye to her before she passed 4 days later with all her family around her. If my mam would have had to go to Exeter, she would not have been alive for the 4 days for our family to get to her. My grandma, her mum, was able to come from Manchester and her sister from Kuala Lumpur. This wouldn't have been possible if she had been transferred to another hospital. Her son and other daughter wouldn't have been able to go and see and be with her easily due to none of us driving and relying on public transport.

Me and my family are very grateful for the unit at Torbay Hospital. The amazing staff who worked hard at the house and hospital were incredible and I couldn't thank them enough. It's 10 years this year since she passed but we will never forget the dedication you all put in and continue to give to other families who need this vital service.

Thank you so much. I have found it very hard but have had my amazing daughter and family around me to guide me through. The cardiac unit and team are needed by all. They did amazing and I thank them so much for their hard work.

After having a selective stent fitted in 2015 due to Angina I suffered a heart attack in 2016. I didn't realise I was having a heart attack as the symptoms were not typical. I just felt 'out of body' and had just left home to visit a relative. I returned home and my husband called an ambulance via 999.

I'm fortunate to live very close to Torbay Hospital. The paramedics gave me an ECG and I was told I was having a heart attack. I was taken straight to the Cardiac Laboratory where a second stent was fitted. No travelling. No delay. Probably a time span of an hour from calling an ambulance to the fitting of the stent. This was in normal working hours and not out of hours.

Then in 2022 on a Saturday at approximately 9.30pm I had another heart episode with similar symptoms as in 2016. My husband called an ambulance. There was a wait of 1 hour 45 minutes and the crew turned up at well past 11pm. While waiting I used my GTN spray and the symptoms subsided. The ambulance crew offered to take me to Torbay but seemed reluctant and said I'd be there for several hours while blood etc was taken and the results coming back. The alternative was to see my GP on the next working day - a Monday. I did this and was told I should have gone to hospital on the Saturday as they could test for markers but it was now too late.

Anyway she referred me to the cardiac unit and I had a telephone consultation with Dr U E Sheikh and he referred me for an angiogram. At this appointment in the catheter lab I lost consciousness, CPR was started and I recovered. I had to stay in hospital for 24 hours.

I then had a follow up appointment with the Arrhythmia Nurse. All was well but I was told if I had any further indications of a heart event to make my way to Torbay Hospital immediately and not wait for an ambulance.

This would be a genuine risk of life if I couldn't access Torbay Cardiac Unit.

I'm pleased to say I've had no further problems and my appreciation and gratitude to Torbay Cardiac Unit is immense.

If it wasn't for Torbay Hospital CCU I would be a widow.

I was at my husband's bedside for so long whilst those amazing Consultants, Doctors, Nurses and others did all they could to keep him alive until he was finally well enough to be referred to Papworth for a heart transplant. What they done for him was a miracle.

On a daily basis I saw lives saved. Loved ones coming in crying for the sick relative, then leaving with a smile on their faces, thanks to CCU the life savers we personally ourselves owe so much to.

June 2023, feeling short of breath and initially thinking I was just getting old, I visited my GP who then, within 24 hours, referred my case to Torbay cardiology. In July I was seen by Dr Hassoon in Cardiology who diagnosed severe Aortic Stenosis and in consultation with Dr Bashir in Derriford agreed to put me on urgent work up to a replacement operation. This took place during July and August 2023, with the last two appointments being in September.

On 13th September 2023 I went to Torbay Cardiology for the final Angioplasty and, having worsened in the intervening period, collapsed on the floor and was picked up by Dr Keeling who arranged for me to be admitted to Dunlop ward. There I had superb care and everything was explained to me but had to wait for availability in Derriford for the operation.

I was eventually transferred to Derriford in the first week of October, having lost over 10Kg in Dunlop (I was on the large side). Due to the junior doctors strike the op was delayed until 11th October and I had a few false starts. So, on October 11th, I was wheeled down to the operating theatre and then all was blank until four days later, but I understand the operation was a bit more complicated and involved a complete replacement of my aortic valve.

When I awoke, I was still on life support and had contracted Klebsiella, so spent a lot longer in Derriford ICU than was anticipated. However, I was well treated by all there and they kept me alive for four days after the op and treated my Klebsiella. After a few days they tried to transfer me to Clearbrook ward, but found I had to go back to the ICU. I also developed delirium, possibly due to a reaction to the drugs I was given. Eventually, early November, I had recovered enough to be moved back to Torbay, where after a delirious experience of being in a tube train, I awoke with almost full faculties a day or so later.

It took me a few days to regain all my senses, including writing and spelling, and my wife, who had been through a lot with my illness, was overjoyed to see an email I wrote.

I continued to improve, but found that extended bed rest had robbed me of the use of my legs, so later in November, I was transferred to Totnes hospital for rehab. Totnes were great and had me walking and washing and dressing myself within a week, so after due consultation, I was discharged on 30th November 2023. Then started a longer period of recovery at home but I am now pretty well recovered apart from the Arthritis in my toes that was dormant but reared its ugly head afterwards and continues to this day.

I want to put on record that if it had not been for the timely intervention of Dr Keeling and his staff in Torbay Cardiology, I probably wouldn't be writing this. I also want to thank all the nurses who looked after me 24/7 in Torbay, Derriford and Totnes. If I had needed to travel to Exeter on the 13th September 2023 I probably wouldn't be here now. I am eternally grateful to all the staff who kept me going and finally saw me leave hospital in an improved state, albeit nearly 3 months later.

Torbay Cardiology basically saved my life. Just before Christmas 2013, I was getting ready to watch the final of Strictly, when I developed a pain in the middle of my shoulder blades. I quickly realised it wasn't the sort of pain I'd ever experienced before, and phoned my neighbour to say - I think I'm having a heart attack. She called an ambulance and I was taken into Torbay Hospital. Pre pandemic ambulance waiting times were much much shorter than they are now, and A&E quickly triaged me, and I was admitted with tests being carried out throughout the evening.

The next morning having been placed on the ward, and convinced it must've been a bad attack of wind I asked if I could be discharged as I was due to pick my daughter up in Bristol. Er no the ward nurse said - you have had a heart attack. There followed more tests, and finally I was diagnosed with a cardiac spasm. I was followed up fortnightly then monthly, and eventually diagnosed with atrial fibrillation, again, well monitored by the Heart and Lung Dept.

With medication this condition was managed so well I was able to complete a 500 mile walk in October 2015. However two bouts of flu in the following winter further affected my heart, with the rather alarming diagnosis of heart failure six months later. Again the cardiology department were superb, I visited a heart failure specialist nurse regularly for two years, and my heart has recovered.

In 2022, I walked 500 miles again to celebrate my 70th birthday. I am still receiving regular monitoring from cardiology at Torbay, every six months though it is a phone call from the consultant these days. I hope to celebrate my 75th birthday with another 500 mile walk.

I owe my health to the cardiology department at Torbay. It must be fully retained, maintained, and resourced.

March 29th 2020 - early pandemic, first lockdown - I suffered a major heart attack with a blocked LAD. I was 49 (now 54) and Headteacher at a Grammar School.

It was the middle of the night and I went from pre-arrest to having a life-saving stent within an hour or so - thanks to the team at the Torbay Cardiac Unit. The speed of this care not only saved my life, it meant there was less scar tissue from the heart attack and my ongoing recovery has not been too compromised.

Needless to say, proximity to specialist intervention and care were critical. I was back at work in early May after the easter break and a three week recovery period; ready to lead the school community through one of the most challenging periods of recent history.

The proposed travel times to an Exeter based facility may have meant that I wouldn't be writing to you today and would certainly have been deleterious to my ongoing recovery.

I would not be alive today if the cardiac service in Torbay hospital had been moved to Exeter.

On 5th June 2025 I began to experience difficulty breathing, to the point that I called 111 who despatched an ambulance. By the time it arrived I was on the verge of collapse, and subsequently stopped being able to breath while being examined.

I was blue lighted to Torbay hospital where I was referred to the ICU department and ended up sedated and on a ventilator, as my lungs were completely full of liquid to the point that my heart could not beat.

I was given less than 10% chance of recovery, and it is only because of the dedication of the staff that I survived - many off duty members of staff were called in to assist in my treatment. These people are heroes.

This dedication is why the hospital is rated 4th in the country for cardiac services.

If this had occurred after the intended movement of the service to Exeter I am convinced I would have died.

The population of Torbay is larger, older and more in need of local cardiac services than Exeter. How are patients who cannot drive or are too ill to drive expected to travel to Exeter? What contingencies have been considered to bypass the gridlock that regularly occurs on the route from Torbay to Exeter?

There are many indicators that there is a need for the services in the RDE hospital to be improved but this cannot and must not be at the expense of existing, exemplary services in other hospitals.

In January 2023 after a rather energetic day with a new vacuum cleaner and in the evening after my usual Taiko drumming session I felt an unfamiliar feeling in my chest.

Walking up a slope, normally not an issue, to the drumming studio I felt a little breathless and a kind of indigestion discomfort. I didn't give it a lot of thought after my busy day. An hour into my drumming lesson I had the same sensation, it persisted when I got home about 9.30.

After about an hour I rang a friend who suggested I took my blood pressure. It was very high, she said I should go to A&E. (If I had needed to go to Exeter RD&E I would have left it until the next day as it was about 10.30)

My husband took me to Torbay and I was triaged fairly quickly and a blood test was done. The result was I had had a mild heart attack. I was completely shocked by this. I was given a lot of medication to take, about 10 or more tablets and transferred to the cardiac unit. This was Thursday night and on Monday I had three stents fitted.

If I had waited until the next day or had to travel to Exeter, I wouldn't have died but it could have worsened my condition considerably. I'm not familiar with RD&E or where the A&E dept is situated, this would cause a degree of anxiety.

I have had excellent follow up 6 monthly scans and also telephone consultations with the consultant who performed the angiogram.

In July 2023 my husband had an exploratory operation, widespread cancer was found, he suddenly and very sadly died 10 days later.

Throughout these two most devastatingly shocking events I have received the most amazing professional care and compassion from all the staff involved at Torbay hospital.

I write to confirm that when I had my heart attack two years ago I definitely would not have survived the journey had I had to go to Exeter as time proved to be of the essence. As it was, as I discovered the following day of admission to Torbay Hospital, a bed had been reserved for me in the Intensive Care Unit when I was in A&E.

It was only due to the excellent care I received from the nurses, doctors and Dr Feldeman that brought me back from the brink. When I was more stabilised, Dr Feldeman inserted two stents but informed me that my heart attack has unfortunately resulted in heart failure.

There is no doubt in my mind that it would be a major tragedy if the Cardiology Department is moved to RD&E Exeter and will only result in many unnecessary deaths.

Out cycling, I had a cardiac arrest close to Five Lanes roundabout, Marldon at about 0700 on 24th April 2018.

Two ambulances and first response car in attendance, revived at the roadside and arrested again in ambulance and again on reaching A&E, then transferred to the Cardiac unit.

Stent plus other procedures, this was then followed by 7 days induced coma then 2 days ICU and 36 hours on Dunlop ward before discharge to the care of my wife, also a nurse.

It is highly unlikely that I would have survived if I had had to go to Exeter. The odds of surviving as I did were less than 20%.

I was wearing a headcam on my helmet which recorded the whole episode by the roadside and clearly shows that CPR did not start for at least five minutes.

In late November 2019 I awoke with pains in my left arm. I assumed this due to my lying on my arm in bed. The pain gradually got worse and my wife phoned for an ambulance. Fortunately it was on the Brixham Road close to where we live and it arrived very quickly. At this time I was on the floor in my bedroom. When the paramedics came in it was clear I was having a heart attack. The paramedics managed to get me into a chair and down the stairs to the ambulance. Shortly after this I suffered two cardiac arrests. The paramedics managed to get my heart started again.

As I needed to have two paramedics in the ambulance another one was sent. I was blue lighted to the Cardiac Unit at Torbay and rushed to the Cath. Lab for urgent treatment. It was all so quick the second ambulance that had taken my wife and daughter to the hospital hadn't arrived. The Cardiac team got to work immediately and inserted two stents.

I was put in a side room where cardiac nurses looked after me.

I am 100 percent convinced that without the skill of the paramedics, the Cardiac team at Torbay and all the nurses who cared for me I wouldn't be here today.

It was and is clear to me that time is of the essence if serious damage is not done to the heart muscle causing major disabilities. Only 1 in 10 people who have a cardiac arrest survive I am therefore very fortunate. If I had had to go to Exeter I am certain I wouldn't have made it. Time is that important.

Almost 5 years ago my husband, Donald Gorton, had a heart attack on New Year's Day night. I called 999 but the paramedics and ourselves thought it was indigestion. The young paramedic, Will Price, decided to take Don to Torbay for a blood test and on arriving Don had another heart attack.

Torbay Hospital kept Don in whilst trying to find a hospital to do an emergency double bypass. Oxford, Southampton and Bristol were the likely places to go but after a week Plymouth were able to accommodate him. He was kept in bed for the whole week at Torbay and monitored regularly by an amazing team. They are all our heroes.

Don was 85 at the time. His birth date is the 8th July and he will be 90 next July, God willing!

I have twin sons (plus a younger son). At the age of 46 years one of my twins collapsed with shortness of breath, he was admitted to Torbay CCU, lots of tests, plus family history submitted. Outcome - all 3 sons were diagnosed with AF, dilated cardiomyopathy and haemochromatosis. Twins had implanted defibrillators plus spending time in and out of CCU and weekly blood tests.

Fast forward with exceptional care and dedication from the Heart consultants and amazing team. Darren was transferred to Royal Papworth hospital Cambridge to wait for a heart transplant, which was very successful in 2019.

Mark had a stroke owing to his AF. He was admitted March 2024 age 55 years and spent 3 months in CCU. A massive thanks to the amazing team he survived and was also transferred to Royal Papworth January 2025. He also had a heart transplant, he is still under Torbay care with weekly blood tests etc.

My youngest son is just starting his AF and haemochromatosis journey.

So please please as a desperate Mum keep this amazing heart unit at Torbay Hospital.

In late June 2021, my husband started to complain of bad indigestion. He was sweating, was sick and started to get pains in his right arm. We naively thought that it couldn't be a heart attack as that affects your left arm and so I called 111. I got through to them in about 15 minutes and they sent an ambulance.

The paramedics were marvellous. One of them telephoned the hospital who told him to take Kevin to A&E but the paramedic over-ruled this and said that he was bringing him straight to the Cardiac Unit. Unfortunately, there was a delay as someone had parked across from our driveway and the ambulance couldn't get out. They couldn't trace who owned the car and eventually had to call in another ambulance.

We arrived at the hospital and Kevin was taken straight to the operating theatre. A few minutes later, a gentleman in shorts and a t-shirt stopped to tell me that he was the surgeon before going through to the unit. He'd been at a barbecue when he got the call that he was needed. This was Mr Gribbin.

Not long after, one of the paramedics came to tell me that all was well and that my husband had had a stent fitted. He had watched the operation as he had not seen one done before and was interested in the procedure. Kevin spent several days in hospital where he received marvellous care and then began the long process of recovery.

I can honestly say that if it hadn't been for Torbay Hospital, I would be a widow today as he would probably not have made it as far as Newton Abbot, let alone Exeter.

Just 2 weeks ago this morning, Sunday 24th August 2025, I suffered a severe heart attack. I'm a 65 year old female, fit, playing walking football twice a week, more if we have a tournament. I have a healthy weight.

I collapsed at home after getting dressed in the morning. Luckily, my husband was home, the ambulance arrived quickly, and the cardiac team were ready for me. After 2 hours with the cardiac team, with 1 stent fitted, I was comfortable on the CCU ward. Everyone was amazing.

Now home, I'm still anxious about the whole situation, and I see Torbay Hospital Cardiac as a safety net. It's an amazing new facility, I cannot understand why this should change.

In November 2022 I had a serious (so I'm informed) heart attack in my home. The ambulance arrived (via 111) within an hour and on arriving at the hospital I went straight into surgery to have a stent fitted. The team were very attentive (one of them was a Liverpool supporter but nobody's perfect). Dr Hassoon was there very quickly, the whole procedure was quick and efficient.

The cardiac unit was extremely well run and I was soon in a room (ward) to recover.

If I had to travel further afield during the incident my wife would no doubt be a widow now. It is difficult enough to be seen by the cardiac unit due to their hectic workload without the extra worry of having to travel to Exeter or Plymouth. Anyone who says it only takes 20 minutes to get to Exeter has never travelled there on a busy day! And of course Plymouth would be much worse.

The idea of moving the cardiac unit from Torbay Hospital is nothing short of insane.