"Standard of care"

In March, I went to A&E via 999 ambulance to Hairmyres. Paramedics and A&E staff were all fantastic and care was exceptional. I was referred to cardiology for an emergency Echocardiogram which I got 3 days later. The staff member who did my Echo was fantastic, as they had to deliver me with the news that I had cardiomyopathy and my heart was only working 30%. Being a nurse myself, I was so upset, as I knew how serious this was. The same staff member went to speak to a consultant cardiologist, who stated that they couldn’t see me that day, which was surprising to me, as the first staff member had thought I would be commenced on medication immediately. They advised that I should be contacted very soon and possibly the next day to come in as an urgent outpatient.

Come 2 days later and I had no contact. I called the reception and spoke to the staff, who were lovely. However at this time I didn’t hear back so I decided to email to keep a trail of communication. The staff were doing their best, however I was told that they were running two weeks behind. By this time my nerves were shattered as I had researched my condition and also had the knowledge of working in ICU for several years. I emailed again, stating that I was trying to get a private appointment with a specific consultant, and wanted to make sure they were going to have knowledge of my condition. A few days later, I was phoned and offered an appointment, which was an add on to the end of the clinic. I accepted this appointment, as they were going to give me an appointment for a month after this otherwise. I was advised that the consultant was writing to my GP to commence me on beta blockers at a very low level. I had spoken to BHF and was told by one of the cardiac nurse specialists that I should have been started treatment straight away and not left. By this time my symptoms were worse, breathless and I was even finding it hard to get around my own home. I saw a Doctor at the appointment, who stated that they would get one of the nurse specialists to look after me and create my treatment plan, and that the nurse would be in touch very soon. 1 week later, there was no contact. I called reception the next day, after speaking to cardiomyopathy.org, who advised me that they should have followed the gold standard of care and I should have been started treatment straight away and sent for an MRI scan after being referred to the cardiomyopathy team at the Golden Jubilee. I was told that the letters were two weeks behind and they would speak to the doctor. 3 days later,  there had been no contact at all. I called my GP, who stated that they would write to the hospital to see what was happening and they would do this electronically. So today is another 3 days later and I’m still waiting. My nerves are bad and I’ve been left to allow my condition to get worse and have lost out on valuable time. I’ve been told my condition has been caused by an infection and possibly COVID. I’m devastated and feel like I’ve been totally let down by Hairmyres Cardiology department and I’m now trying to see if I can go private, but the cost is too much at this time. The medication that I was started on should have been monitored and increased, bloods should be taken to check my kidneys regularly too. Please can you get someone to start me on the correct treatment plan. Kind regards,