Change imminent at heart centre in Inverness
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Speaking about ongoing plans to close the dedicated Highland Heartbeat Centre at Raigmore Hospital clinical ward manager Charlie Bloe said cardiac care is a “fast evolving specialism” and the way problems are treated have changed significantly in the 10 years since the centre was first opened.
“We have been very sympathetic to the views of the various charities that contributed to the development of the Highland Heartbeat Centre,” he said.
“The Highland Heartbeat Centre has been a really well-used facility that lots of people have benefited from over the last decade.
“The assurances I want to give them is that patients will continue to benefit from an improved cardiac rehabilitation service, albeit it won’t be in the Highland Heartbeat Centre.”
Current NHS plans would see the centre replaced by an outreach service operating across the health board area and making use of other community facilities including leisure centres.
The plan is to use the centre premises as a new base for the care of frail elderly patients and NHS Highland have promised current provision won’t end until alternative arrangements are in place, possibly by June.
The centre opened in 2005 after more than £750,000 was raised through a public fundraising campaign, with the rest of the total £1.1 million cost being provided by the British Heart Foundation.
We All Need the Heartbeat, who are campaigning to keep the centre opened, described the NHS Highland assertion that any replacement will be at least as good if not better than the current offer as “laughable”. A spokesman said: “It remains one further demonstration of NHS Highland’s corporate arrogance.
“Motivated by a property-grab their focused agenda continues to attempt to steamroller and manipulate the contribution of cardiac charities, cardiac patients, cardiac staff and public goodwill.”
They added: “If NHS Highland are allowed to achieve this closure of Highland Heartbeat Centre they will destroy what was one of the greatest charitable funded health achievements of the Highlands.”
A spokeswoman for Inverness Bravehearts who provide voluntary support for people with cardiac problems once they have completed formal NHS rehabilitation said the health authority’s plans “do not respect and reflect the Highland public’s commitment and £1 million investment in the centre and its dedicated cardiac rehab programme”.
