DEATHS from heart attacks in East Lancashire hospitals have halved since a new scheme was introduced.

Since East Lancashire Hospitals NHS Trust (ELHT) centralised all acute admissions to the Blackburn site in 2007, it has allowed the development of a 24/7 consultant-led cardiology service.

This means that management of a new 10 bedded Critical Care Unit was taken over by cardiologists, who also provided a daily ward round in the Medical Admissions Unit (MAU) and the general cardiology ward.

When comparing the two periods — before reorganisation and the current provision — the Trust found the following: n There was a reduction in length of stay from an average of seven days to five days.

  • Access to the regional tertiary centre for acute angiography improved from 95 to 241.
  • The in-hospital mortality reduced from 15.6 per cent to 7.2 per cent.
  • The 30 day post discharge mortality reduced from 19.4 per cent to 10.2 per cent.

Health bosses put the decrease in deaths down to an emphasis on early recognition of the high to intermediate risk patients who were most likely to benefit from assessment and management directed by consultant cardiologists.

Rineke Schram, medical director at East Lancashire Hospitals NHS Trust, said: “It is clear that the development of a modern and comprehensive consultant cardiologist led service directed towards early recognition and appropriate management of patients admitted with acute coronary syndromes is associated with impressive reductions in all-cause mortality.

“This is as a direct result of the effects of the ‘Meeting Patient Needs’ reorganisation of services.”