A HEART-attack survivor has returned to Worcestershire Royal Hospital 10 years on to thank the fast-acting medics who saved his life.

John Hanglin collapsed in agony after suffering a heart attack while working as a volunteer in the hospital foyer on August 27, 2003.

Although he was in the best possible place for the incident to occur, he says he would not be here today had it not been for the actions of hospital staff who restarted his heart and kept him alive.

Mr Hanglin, aged 77, had been volunteering at the hospital with his wife Diana for about a year when he suffered his heart attack.

“I was by the reception desk and my wife had just gone to get some refreshments,” he said. “Apparently I collapsed and fell to the floor. The crash team – which is the team experienced in dealing with medical emergencies within the hospital – were mobilised immediately.” They managed to get his heart beating again before he was transferred to A&E and then the specialist coronary care ward.

Mr Hanglin, who lives in Fernhill Heath, near Worcester, made a good recovery and is still giving up his Tuesday afternoons to help at the hospital 10 years on. “The care and treatment I received was superb and this care extended to my close family,” he said.

“I am now on daily tablets and have regular blood tests, but this is a small price to pay. “I might take life a little slower, but my wife and I still go to the hospital every Tuesday – there are a lot of people less fortunate than ourselves and offering help gives us the greatest satisfaction.”

To mark the occasion, Mr Hanglin was able to meet up with specialist critical care nurse Ruth Mullet, who restarted his heart and saved his life 10 years earlier.

He was also surprised by a visit from Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust chief executive Penny Venables, who praised him for his remarkable dedication to the cause.

“I am very grateful that John chose to continue volunteering at the hospital for a further 10 years after his heart attack,” she said. “Volunteers play such a fantastic role.”