A new cardiac care centre able to treat 600 patients a week has been officially opened at Watford General Hospital.

Cardiac patient Reginald Resnick cut the ribbon on the new West Herts Cardiac Centre alongside Mayor of Watford Dorothy Thornhill on Tuesday.

The clinical space is dedicated entirely to the cardiology team at West Hertfordshire Hospitals NHS Trust, bringing the majority of the service into one building and tripling the amount of space the team has to work in.

The service now occupies all three floors of the centre having outgrown its previous home in the Princess Michael of Kent building towards the end of last year.

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Mr Resnick, 74, said he felt like the six million dollar man since being fitted with a defibrillator, and was even able to run up and down the stairs again.

He added: “There was a time when I thought I couldn’t see the light but thanks to the wonderful care I’ve received from West Herts NHS Trust, I’m here to tell the tale.”

Nearchos Hadjiloizou, clinical lead for cardiology, said at the opening that it was “great day”, adding: “Not only are we improving how we deliver our service but our patients are benefitting from enhanced care on site thanks to the arrival of state-of-the-art cardiac scanning equipment which we used for the first time today.”

Mayor Thornhill said: “I’m delighted to be here today to officially open the centre. It’s time to celebrate the great things happening at west Herts and the improvements being made all around.

“This pioneering service will make a huge difference to residents across south west Herts. It’s really good news for Watford, and I am looking forward to seeing more progress at Watford General over the coming years as the trust’s improvement plans come together.”

Outpatient clinics for chest pain, arrhythmia, and heart failure are run by specialist nurses on the ground floor of the centre, while elective diagnostics, echocardiology and pacemaker clinics are based on the middle floor.

Consultants and secretaries now have a separate administrative space away from clinical areas.

The service has more than doubled the number of its specialist nurses and increased the number of consultants.