HEART surgery at Oxford's John Radcliffe Hospital is to undergo a major review by the NHS after nurses expressed concerns about the quality of treatment, writes Victoria Owen.

Three of the country's top heart specialists will investigate how cardiac care is delivered at the famous Oxford Heart Centre. At the request of the NHS executive regional office, they will also look at how managers respond to concerns made by senior staff within the department.

Regional director Barbara Stocking said: "The Oxford Heart Centre is nationally renowned and provides life-saving care to patients from all over the country. "This review will give us the opportunity to assess the effectiveness of the existing arrangements for the management and delivery of cardiac services at the centre and to see if there are any areas where improvements can be made for the benefit of patients."

Tom Bolger, assistant general secretary of the Royal College of Nursing, said: "Nurses have expressed concerns about the quality of treatment for patients and will be glad that cardiac services are to be reviewed."

A full report will be published in the summer.

Meanwhile, suspended heart surgeon Ravi Pillai is due to return to his job at the heart centre next month after being cleared at a preliminary inquiry of allegations that he drank on duty.

Managers at the Oxford Radcliffe Hospital NHS Trust, which is responsible for the JR, will carry out a further inquiry into Mr Pillai's conduct. But the trust said the first investigation showed no evidence to doubt his work.

Story date: Friday 25 February

Converted for the new archive on 30 June 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.