A healthy cash boost for heart services

11:11am Friday 5th January 2001

HEART services at Watford General Hospital are set for a boost after a successful bid for extra Government money.

On Tuesday, Health Secretary Alan Milburn announced a £2.6 million national cash injection for new heart disease equipment.

West Hertfordshire Health Authority has been awarded money to buy a heart scanner, eight heart monitors and five defibrillators, which restart hearts after a heart attack.

A spokesman for the health authority said the scanner, which costs about £200,000, would go to Watford General, along with two heart monitors and two defibrillators.

She added: "We are absolutely delighted our total bid amounted to about £300,000 and the equipment we are now able to buy costs about this much.

"Since the Government published its national service framework in March, we have been working hard to tackle inequalities in heart disease treatment across west Hertfordshire. This is a real boost to that work."

West Hertfordshire's allocation is part of a scheme to supply new heart disease equipment to GP surgeries and hospitals to help spot and monitor heart disease patients more effectively.

Mr Milburn also announced a national investment of £87.5 million over the next four years to back up new guidance for the NHS on treating stomach, pancreas and oesophagus cancers - but local allocations have yet to be broken down.

He said: "There is no greater priority for the health service than beating our country's biggest killers, cancer and heart disease.

"Decades of neglect left NHS cancer and heart services short of the investment they need. Now that failure is being reversed."

The announcement follows months of concern among GPs and patients about heart services at Watford General.

This was sparked by figures which showed the area had the highest rates of heart disease in the county but the least resources, and that a top heart consultant was leaving - with staff shortages and out-of-date equipment blamed for his decision.

A new cardiologist, Dr Michael van der Watt, replaced Dr Rafe Chamberlain-Webber last month and another, Dr Will Wallis, is due to start work in March.