Cardiac centre open after £1 million revamp

The Morecambe Bay Cardiac Centre at Westmorland General Hospital (WGH) has officially opened following an investment of more than £1 million from University Hospitals of Morecambe Bay NHS Foundation Trust (UHMBT).

The centre, which welcomes in excess of 1,000 patients every year, gained new specialised cardiovascular imaging equipment and a full refurbishment of the Cardiac Catheter Lab Theatre Suite.

The centre offers services and procedures such as Diagnostic Coronary Angiography, the fitting of permanent pacemaker implants and pacemaker generator changes, and the implantation of Cardiac Resynchronisation Therapy pacemakers.

Trust chair, Pearse Butler, who cut a ribbon to mark the centre opening, said: “It was an honour to open the cardiac centre today which will benefit so many people around Morecambe Bay for years to come.”

Alison Capps-Nevett, lead radiographer for Morecambe Bay Cardiac Centre, UHMBT and clinical project lead for the refurbishment project, said: “I am overwhelmed at the support we have had for the cardiac centre from staff, patients and partners and overjoyed that we are all here today to celebrate.

“We were delighted to have opened ahead of schedule in July.I can’t thank all the key teams involved enough for their support throughout the scheme, including, of course, the Cath Lab team, who have worked consistently to provide seamlessly excellent care to our patients throughout the duration of the works. We’ve had some great feedback from patients who have received care in the mobile Cath Lab which has been really rewarding.”

Adrian Brodison, clinical lead cardiologist at UHMBT, said: “This investment ‘future-proofs’ the Cardiac Centre for at least the next decade; it provides a huge technological leap forward from our previous unit and, as such, will allow us to explore further development of cardiac services for our patients in Morecambe Bay.”