Hospitals in Oxfordshire have received a cash injection which will bring quicker diagnosis and earlier treatment for heart patients, writes Alison Bartlett.
The Oxfordshire Community Health Trust has been awarded 104,500 for heart machines for community hospitals, giving staff in minor injuries units and wards access to potentially life-saving equipment.
Community hospitals in Abingdon, Bicester, Chipping Norton, Witney, Wallingford, Thame, Didcot, Wantage and the community hospital on the Churchill site in Oxford will benefit from the cash boost. They all provide care for patients being rehabilitated.
John Forde, practice development unit manager for Oxford Community NHS Health trust, said: "These machines and the accompanying training are an important contribution to improving the quality of care for patients with coronary heart disease. "We expect the equipment to be installed by the end of the year and that all clinical staff will have training to use it."
The money is part of a 1m allocation of funds to the south east by the National Service Framework for Coronary Heart Disease a Government initiative to improve services for patients suffering from coronary heart disease.
The Oxford Community NHS Trust employs 1,900 staff and has a budget of 39m.
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