HEART patients were given a tour of a new £1.5m unit at Oxford's John Radcliffe Hospital equipped with cutting-edge technology that aims to cut down waiting times.

More than 400 people attended a talk from leading clinicians about cardiac care and toured the facility at the hospital’s Oxford Heart Centre on Saturday.

The echocardiography and cardiology outpatients department, which serves as the first port of call for patients with heart problems and for check-ups, opened last month after a fundraising campaign by the Heartfelt Appeal.

The appeal, organised by the hospital's charity, raised £870,000 through donations and fundraising activities.

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Rob Jeffery, 49, from Garsington, raised £15,000 in memory of his father Ted Jeffery, who was one of the first patients at the Oxford Heart Centre when it opened in 2009.

Ted Jeffery died from heart failure in April 2010, aged 72.

Rob said: “The equipment and facilities are top notch and show the progress that has been made.

“My dad would have loved it and it’s nice to see where the money has ended up.”

The charity’s chairman, Sir Christopher Ball, 79, of Richmond Road, Jericho, who had a triple bypass at the heart centre three years ago, said: “The heart centre gave me my life back so I wanted to help raise money for it.

“The NHS can’t fund everything that’s needed so volunteers need to come to its aid.

“People have said it’s like a first-class hotel, which is how it should be.”

Oxford Mail:

Rob Jeffery with operations services manager Ruth Titchener

Oxford University Hospitals NHS Trust cardiology clinical director Dr Bernard Prendergast said: “We’re evolving from a unit first developed 20 years ago with facilities now out of date and leaping forward into the 21st century with a state-of-the-art world class unit.

“It provides a far more modern and spacious facility for patients and more pleasant working environment for staff.

“It allows us to bring together facilities that in the past were widely distributed into a single hub, which will improve patient experience.

“Waiting times will be shorter and the process will be better coordinated.”

The department has taken over a ward used for heart patients until three years ago. which has only been used for administrative purposes since then. Two new ultrasound heart scanners have been installed in the department, which includes seven echocardiography rooms, 10 consulting rooms and has seven consulting officers.

Stanford-in-the-Vale resident John Titchmarsh, 75, suffers from the heart condition angina.

The great-grandfather-of-three said: “It’s an absolutely spectacular facility and just what was needed.

“It used to be dotted around in different areas of the hospital but this brings it all together.

“This is less daunting and has a more relaxed atmosphere. Having a heart condition is a serious concern and I don’t want to worry about going to the hospital.”

  • For more about the charity visit www.hospitalcharity.co.uk 

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