Heart charity appeals for new facility

The heart unit at Treliske is being overstretched

A Cornish charity is raising funds to help reduce waiting times for cardiac patients.

The Cornish Heart Unit Fund is appealing for money towards building a new catheter laboratory at the Royal Cornwall Hospital.

Patients there are currently having to wait nearly two years to be seen.

Health watchdog, the Cornwall Community Health Council, says the county is behind other parts of the country in aspects of health care.

'Very positive'

Chairman Neil Burden said: "We need to call on all people with any influence in Cornwall to make sure we get equity with National Health Service care in the rest of the country.

"We do not get that at the moment.

"We need to be very positive and constantly push our case."

The cardiac unit at the Royal Cornwall Hospital, Treliske, in Truro opened a catheter laboratory three years ago.

The laboratory is an initial diagnosis area where staff can examine patients and work out what treatment they need.

But early referrals and better equipment for detecting illnesses are overloading facilities.

Such is the demand that staff and resources are now stretched to the limit and another laboratory is needed.