PATIENTS with heart conditions will soon be able to receive some of their care in Rugby thanks to a new facility which has been installed at St Cross Hospital.
A new mobile cardiac catheterisation lab, or ‘cath lab’, is now in place at the hospital thanks to an investment by University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire (UHCW) NHS Trust.
The new £500,000 unit, which is next to the hospital’s main entrance, will see around 40 patients a week who are waiting for Electro Physiology studies (EP) – tests which locate problems with the electrical signals in the heart by passing soft wires up a vein in the leg and into the heart.
Currently patients with cardiac arrhythmia need to travel to other centres, including University Hospital in Coventry, for these tests and it is the first time they will be available in Rugby.
The new unit is part of an expansion of cardiac services run by the Trust. The number of EP specialist consultants has recently been doubled from two to four, and a specialist nursing team supports patients throughout their care.
Combined with the cath labs in Coventry, the team treats patients from across Coventry and Warwickshire, as well as Worcestershire, parts of Birmingham and South Staffordshire.
Professor Andrew Hardy, Chief Executive Officer of UHCW NHS Trust, said: “This new investment shows our commitment to expanding services at the Hospital of St Cross.
“This new facility means patients can access these vital procedures and diagnostic tests closer to their homes. Introducing the new unit should also improve access for patients, as well as the time they need to wait for their treatment.”
Dr Dawn Adamson, Cardiology Consultant and Clinical Lead for Cardiac Services, said: “We’re delighted to expand this service for patients in Rugby and surrounding areas.
“The vital procedures that we will be able to offer in the new unit will transform the day-to-day lives of patients with cardiac arrhythmias or cardiac rhythm problems.”
St Cross will also open a new comprehensive sleep studies unit by March of next year, following an investment of £169,000 by UHCW NHS Trust, and a funding commitment of £80,000 from The Friends of St Cross charity.
The new cath lab is scheduled to start treating patients later this month.
