New Cross Hospital's Heart and Lung centre is UK's lowest for cardiac death rates
A department at Wolverhampton's New Cross Hospital once again has again recorded the lowest death rates in the country for serious heart surgery, figures revealed today.
The hospital's Heart and Lung Centre, which treats patients from around the region, also has the best record for the shortest amount of time that patients are kept before being discharged in England. David Loughton, chief executive of the Royal Wolverhampton Hospitals NHS Trust, described the results as "world class".
It is the third year in a row that the trust has had the country's lowest rates, according to the health data firm Dr Foster Intelligence.
Figures show 934 people were treated in the centre in the financial year 2011/12 and there were 13 deaths, half the number which would normally have been expected.
Associate director Sultan Madmud said: "With any kind of improvement, you acknowledge problems and you sort them out.
"We're blessed with really good consultants here and the clinical teams are a pleasure to work with. "But we're not going to rest on our laurels – we'll be trying to improve even further next year."
The trust also has the busiest cardiac unit in the West Midlands, with an average of 13,200 "superspells" – hospital stays that include seeing several consultants.
Mr Loughton praised the team for its work. He said: "For three years in a row the trust has been producing world class outcomes for our patients. It is a testament to the hard work and skill of the clinical teams and the dedication of the support staff."
