HOSPITAL bosses have agreed to bring forward a delayed heart scan after the family of a patient complained to The Northern Echo.

Factory worker Bruce Haigh, 61, from Coxhoe, County Durham, decided to go private to get the heart scan he needed.

But on the day that he was due to sign papers to give the private hospital group Bupa the go-ahead to arrange the scan, the NHS offered him an appointment to have an angiogram.

Last night, his daughter, Kim Ternent, from Newtonhall, Durham City, said: "I am sure this is because The Northern Echo got involved in my dad's case."

Mr Haigh should have had an angiogram within two or three weeks of suffering a heart attack on March 26.

After being taken ill at work, he was taken to Bishop Auckland General Hospital's critical care unit.

But after waiting for an angiogram for more than two months, the father-of-three decided he could wait no longer.

Mrs Ternent said: "We were fed up at waiting and worried in case he might have another heart attack.

"Luckily, my dad has private health cover, but not everybody else is in that position."

The family also criticised the standard of cleanliness at Bishop Auckland hospital along with the practice of waking very ill patients in the middle of the night to give them medication.

Mrs Ternent said: "The ward my dad was on was absolutely disgusting. It smelled of urine.

"My dad also complained of the whole ward being woken up between 1am and 3am to be given medication, especially when they are woken up anyway at about 6am.

A spokesman for the County Durham and Darlington Hospitals Foundation NHS Trust said: "We are sorry that Mr Haigh's family were unhappy with the care he received. If they would like to get in touch with our complaints manager, we would be very happy to talk to them about their concerns.

"Medication is given to patients between 10pm and 11pm, so staff do not wake patients during the night, unless their treatment requires it. Our wards are audited for cleanliness regularly, and recent results have been good.