Hospital given £3m to improve heart operations

St Peter's, which performed 4,400 complex heart procedures last year, is facing increased demand (stock image)

It is hoped an investment of nearly £3m in a Surrey hospital will help it to carry out complex heart operations more quickly and safely.

Runnymede Borough Council will spend £2.9m upgrading the cardiac catheter lab at St Peter's Hospital in Chertsey, with another £900,000 coming from existing NHS funding.

The council will also spend £296,000 refurbishing the neonatal intensive care unit at the hospital, which provides specialist care for some of the smallest and sickest babies in the South East.

Louise Stead, chief executive for Ashford and St Peter's Hospitals, said: "These improvements will strengthen our ability to deliver timely, life-saving care in modern, purpose-built environments."

Staff at St Peter's performed 4,400 complex and minimally-invasive heart procedures last year, and say the funding will help them to meet a growing demand.

It will pay for advanced new equipment and help with earlier diagnosis and intervention, which should improve patient outcomes.

For the neonatal intensive care unit, the funds will also be spent on new equipment, as well as upgraded rooms and facilities for families during long an emotional period of care, the hospital said.

Ms Stead said: "By investing in these services, we are ensuring that they can continue to deliver high-quality, compassionate care for everyone who needs it, now and in the years to come."

The funding from the council is from community infrastructure levy - money paid by developers which have built new homes or other buildings in Runnymede.