NATIONAL Lottery cash is being released to speed up the diagnosis of heart disease at a North-East hospital.

North Tees and Hartlepool NHS Trust is one of 19 trusts across England to be given cash to buy new cardiac angiography equipment.

The New Opportunities Fund has allocated £21m in Lottery funds for the diagnostic equipment.

Yesterday's announcement is the latest to be made as part of £297m New Opportunities for Health programme, which aims to cut heart disease, cancer and strokes.

Public Health Minister Hazel Blears said the Government was committed to reducing death rates from heart disease by at least 40 people in people under 75 by 2010 .

The National Service Framework (NSF) for coronary heart disease published in 2000 set out ways to cut deaths and improve patient treatment over ten years.

"Patients are already benefiting from the very real improvements in coronary heart disease services resulting from implementation of the NSF," she said.

Fund chairman Jill Pitkeathley said: "This new investment of diagnostic equipment will make a real difference to the quality of life for people and will help ensure that all patients have access to the right treatment at the right time."

The Northern Echo has successfully pressed the Government for improvements in treatment for heart patients since launching the A Chance To Live campaign four years ago.