REVIEW OF THE YEAR BY THE CHAIRMAN

Cardiac DivisionNew 52m LancashireCardiac CentreThe Lancashire Cardiac Centre openedits doors to its first patients in April2006. The £52m unit, which is thebiggest development Victoria Hospitalhas seen in its history, provides stateof-the-artcardiac care to heartpatients across South Cumbria andLancashire.The Trust was delighted to welcomeHis Royal Highness the Duke ofGloucester to the hospital in October2006 to officially open the new unit.The unit’s high tech facilities include15 critical care beds, three operatingtheatres and three cardiac catheterlaboratories (both with capacity toexpand to five), around 90 in-patientand day case beds, x-ray facilities andan out-patient department.The Cardiac Unit also houses anEducation Centre featuring a lecturetheatre, seminar rooms, a researchlaboratory and library which can beused by medical and nursing stafffrom across the Trust to keep themup-to-date with the latest technologyand techniques.The centre is kitted out with the mostup-to-dateequipment and is staffedby experienced, dedicated clinicianswho can offer complete cardiac carefrom diagnosis to treatment from theone location.43