After a year of fundraising and enormous support from members and the community as a whole, the Friends were proud to announce that they had completed their 2023 Major Project, to provide £400k of equipment to the new cardiac catheter labs at the DGH.
An opening ceremony was held to celebrate the installation of the new labs, and the huge, positive impact this would have on cardiology services at Eastbourne.
Professor Nik Patel addressed all attendees, saying that, “These are not just cath labs, but the start of a journey for us in Cardiology that will take us to be an even better centre of excellence, and nationally a place that will be admired”
He described the new units as a “State of the at facility that will be there for our patients, reduce radiation, reduce contrast , make the procedures quicker for our patients and above all else make sure that our patients get the best care possible and the best imaging equipment that there is in the country.”
He acknowledged the hard work put in by the entire team, calling it a real team effort. “Cardiology. involves so many different staff groups – physiologists, radiographers, nurses – who work collaboratively in a number of areas to make it all happen. This facility is a gift to you because this ought to be the start of many happy years ahead, bringing an ability to do new procedures.”
Professor Patel also anticipated the reaction of visiting professors to the DGH who would be envious of the equipment in place at the hospital. They already comment, he said, on how good the team is at the DGH and how so many disciplines and staff combine to offer an outstanding service.
Prior to the ribbon being cut and the lab officially opened, Steve Phoenix spoke to express thanks to everyone present. He said, “My thanks to all of you, I know what a testing last couple of years it has been and you’ve all done an amazing job. Thanks also to the Friends for all of the equipment that they have gifted – we couldn’t do a lot of what we do without the Friends and without Harry driving them forward.”
