THINGS are looking bright for cardiac care in the town.

Those were the words of Len Tate, chief executive of Heartbeat, the town’s cardiac support group, after a meeting at Ipswich Hospital highlighted the improving services in the cardiology department.

Staff from the cardiology ward met with patient representatives and the hospital’s chief executive Nigel Beverley to detail the improvements made during the past six months.

The improvements to services come as work continues on the new state-of-the-art cardiac centre, something The Star has been campaigning for since 2009 through our Have a Heart appeal.

Patients are benefiting from a improved service with more people being seen in a shorter time span. The group heard that waiting times had been improved because the clinic is open for an extra two hours each day and administration staff have caught up on a backlog of letters waiting to be typed. The turnaround time for letters has been reduced from six weeks to just 24-hours.

Mr Tate said the improvements in cardiac care were the best he had seen since he became involved 20 years ago.

He said: “They are doing many, many things in the cardiology department from waiting times to ways of giving their services.

“I have to say, I think things are looking bright for cardiac care in the town and it is wonderful to see. The patients deserve it. I have been involved in cardiology for about 20 years and this is the most exciting time for the department.”

The meeting also heard that heart patients are also set to benefit from a 3D echocardiogram machine which tests how well the heart is pumping. The department is also making savings and taking on new recruits including an acute coronary syndrome nurse specialist.

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