HEART patients will get faster diagnosis at Warrington Hospital thanks to a new £2.9m centre.

Building work has started on the coronary angiography suite, which will house a cardiac catheterisation laboratory and a 10-bed day ward.

Due to open in February 2006, the suite will treat more than 1,500 patients a year from north Cheshire, St Helens and Knowsley.

Ian Dalton, chief executive at North Cheshire Hospitals NHS Trust, said: "A very large number of people in north Cheshire need the NHS to help them with their heart diseases.

"This vital new development will deliver a huge improvement in our services for our heart patients and is further evidence of how Warrington and Halton hospitals are offering ever more complex care."

The suite will provide diagnostic coronary angiographies (DCAs) for patients who currently have to travel to Liverpool and Manchester for the procedure.

The DCA process sees dye flushed through the heart and monitored via x-rays to see if there are any blockages of arteries and to assess heart function and measure blood pressure.

Surinder Virk, consultant cardiologist, said: "For the first time, the trust will have the capacity to provide both invasive and non-invasive cardiac investigations for our patients.

"They will no longer have to travel to regional centres, which will lead to earlier diagnosis and treatment.

"It is a massive boost given that heart disease is such a major health issue in this region."