MADE in York...assembled in Stevenage in record time.

That is the new £2.3 million cardiac unit built by off-site by construction specialist and Portakabin subsidiary, Yorkon, at its base in Huntington, York and put together at Lister Hospital in Stevenage.

The entire process took just seven months - 30 per cent shorter than had conventional site-based building methods been used. The single-storey centre was craned into position ready for fitting out and installation of the latest medical scanning technology.

In its first year, the new unit expects to care for 1,500 people, dramatically improving waiting times for patients and allowing East and North Hertfordshire NHS Trust to quadruple capacity.

Until the facility opened, those patients needing specialist cardiac diagnostic procedures had to travel to London or use an ageing mobile unit that visited the hospital once a week.

Peter Gibson, head of public affairs at East and North Hertfordshire NHS Trust, said: "The treatment of coronary heart disease is one of our biggest priorities and is a key area for improvement in the Government's NHS Plan.

"By completing the purpose-designed building in a considerably shorter timescale, there is a direct benefit to patients who can now be seen and treated much earlier and in a state-of-the-art facility.

"We are very happy with the building and are impressed with the quality of finish. The use of off-site construction also enabled us to significantly reduce disruption to the running of the hospital during the build programme."

Keith Blanshard, director and general manager of Yorkon, said: "The logistics of constructing a building so close to other busy hospital departments, including paediatrics, A&E and outpatients, had to be addressed as part of the project, ensuring the highest levels of safety, privacy and security."

Updated: 09:27 Wednesday, March 09, 2005