A “FIRST-CLASS” �4.5m heart treatment centre has opened at Lister Hospital.

The new Hertfordshire Cardiology Unit brings the East and North Herts Trust’s cardiology services together on the Stevenage site.

The trust said the centre, which has two dedicated cardiac catheterisation labs for heart attack victims, brings extra capacity, increased efficiency, and a wider range of services to Lister, meaning far fewer patients will need to travel to hospitals such as Harefield for cardiology treatment.

Trust chief executive, Nick Carver, said the project underlines the trust’s ambition to improve specialist cardiac care for local people.

“Since opening our first cardiac laboratory back in 2004, we have always recognised that the service would need to be expanded – which is why we are delighted that the new Hertfordshire Cardiology Centre has opened at the Lister.

“It is also an example of the improvements in the quality of care that our staff can provide to their patients when such specialist services are brought together on to a single site. This approach is at the heart of our current programme of hospital changes.”

These changes will see �150m invested in the Lister site by 2014, making it the centre for all emergency and inpatient care across east and north Hertfordshire, as well as parts of Bedfordshire.

Professor Diana Gorog, lead clinician involved in the heart centre project, consultant said it was “wonderful” development.

“It offers cardiac services in a one-stop-shop service to patients. One floor of the unit offers full non-invasive services, including complex echo, holter analysis and pacing clinics, whilst the ground floor houses two state-of-the-art cardiac catheterisation laboratories providing angiography, angioplasty - including complex angioplasty and primary percutaneous coronary - and pacing. This allows us to deliver a truly first-class cardiac service to local people.”