Hospital bosses have admitted they failed a pensioner who had to wait more than three months for heart test results.

The health ombudsman led an investigation into East Kent Hospitals University Foundation Trust after an official complaint from Hythe resident David Laws, who claimed the delay could have been “life-threatening”.

Investigators found there was a “clear service failure” and risk given that Mr Laws was told to immediately stop taking medication and results showing he needed a pacemaker fitted.

He complained that the results of an ECG (electrocardiagram) test – which he had in July 2015 at the William Harvey Hospital in Ashford – were not reported back to him for three months.

He also reported delays from a further test carried out the following November which were not sent to his GP until February this year.

Mr Laws, 79, of Sene Park, Hythe, told the Express: “If they don’t get the result then you might not be on the right medication.

“Mine was to get a pacemaker and I might have needed to get one straightaway [based on the results].

“If they can’t get them out for three months people are at risk.”

The cardiologist at the hospital told Mr Laws in October 2015 to stop taking one of his regular prescribed medicines immediately.

However, the ombudsman denied a link between Mr Laws’s results being delayed and a minor stroke he suffered while on holiday in Italy shortly after seeing the cardiologist.

“I connected the two, they didn’t, but the delay is life threatening,” Mr Laws added.

“It was fortunate it was minor and happened on last day of my holiday in Italy. I felt a jolt but didn’t collapse.

“No sooner did I get home, I dropped the bags and I was on the phone. The doctor said get straight to the hospital. It could have been a lot worse. I’m thankful.”

The father-of-two says he wants the trust to make improvements so that other patients do not suffer the same experience and delays.

“It’s for the public at large. I didn’t do this for my own gratification. It’s nice if people know what’s going on.

“I’m interested in the public getting better treatment.”

Trust chief executive Matthew Kershaw apologised to Mr Laws for the delay, saying they fell “well below” standards.

The ombudsman’s report pointed out there “were clear delays in the analysis and communication”.

NHS guidelines say ECG results must be returned to patients’ GPs within six weeks of them being carried out but Mr Laws had to wait nearly 14 weeks for both his tests to be sent back to his doctor.

The trust was ordered to write to Mr Laws apologising and setting out a plan about how they would “achieve a realistic, measurable improvement” to analysing and reporting test results.

Mr Kershaw said: “We apologise to Mr Laws for the delays, which fall well below the standards we aim for.

“We accept the Ombudsman’s report and its findings and are already implementing the report’s recommendations and taking improvement measures to prevent this happening again.

“We are recruiting more staff to the service and updating our equipment. We’re also changing our processes to speed up results.”