A specialist hospital unit serving south Durham will be the third major health project for one of the region's companies.

The £1.3m cardio-angiography unit at Darlington Memorial Hospital is expected to reduce waiting times and improve treatment for heart patients in south Durham.

The Nap Partnership, based in Middlesbrough, is the quantity surveyor for County Durham and Darlington NHS Trust on the development.

The unit - a partnership between the Darlington, Sedgefield and Durham Dales primary care trusts - will cost £800,000 a year to run.

During the past 20 years, Nap has been involved in several multi-million pound health sector developments.

The company acted as employer's agent during a £3.5m project to demolish Thornaby Health Centre and replace it with a three-storey building, which opened in January.

Published: 11/05/2004