Life-saving equipment donated to Worthing Hospital

The hospital, in Lyndhurst Road, was given monitoring equipment worth £30,600 after an appeal was launched by the British Heart Foundation 18 months ago.

Stephen Copeland, cardiac manager at Worthing Hospital, said the equipment will allow staff to diagnose heart rhythm disturbances more quickly and efficiently.

He said: “We approached the British Heart Foundation and said we desperately needed new equipment. The old machine we had was harder to use, so it would take staff much longer to analyse its results.

“With this new one, we can analyse the results much more quickly, which allows us to make a quicker diagnosis.”

A celebration, thanking those who raised money for the appeal, was held at the hospital on Thursday with an afternoon tea.

Among those who raised money for the machine was the Sidney Walter Community Centre, in Sussex Road, Worthing, which collected £873 with a jingle jog held in December.

At the time, between 50 to 60 people from the centre, which holds heart rehab classes every week, dressed up as Father Christmas and walked from Sea Lane Café to Worthing Pier and back again.

Kelvin Williams, who attends the rehab classes each week, had a quadruple heart by-pass in 1995.

Kelvin, 61, of Shermanbury Road, Worthing, said: “This new equipment means your problems can be sorted out at an early stage, which is going to help people make a recovery.

“I don’t think it will be of use to me, but it’s going to help a lot of people.”

Enid Kallend, chairman of the Worthing and district branch of the British Heart Foundation, said: “It’s very satisfying to give this equipment to Worthing Hospital.

“Heart disease is still the biggest single killer, but it won’t just be people with cardiac trouble who benefit from this equipment – it will also help people with different conditions.”

The equipment was paid for two months ago and has been in use at the hospital for a month.