MORE than 1,000 heart patients a year will benefit from an extra £70,500 in funding to extend a successful South Durham cardiac rehabilitation scheme.

The additional money, which is part of a country-wide health improvement programme, will be used to open up the current service offered in Bishop Auckland and Darlington to include patients with unstable angina and heart failure.

The extended programme will be funded for three years and will provide advice to encourage people to adopt a more healthy lifestyle.

This will include devising exercise programmes for patients, helping them to stop smoking and giving them advice on the right diet to follow.

Service developments include an initial risk factor assessment and lifestyle advice, exercise, ECG testing before starting exercise programmes and nurse-led follow up of heart failure patients.

Consultant cardiologist Jerry Murphy said: "For a number of years, Bishop Auckland and Darlington Memorial Hospitals have benefited from a high-quality cardiac rehabilitation programme to help speed recovery after heart attacks and heart surgery.

"The additional money will allow us to extend this high-class service to other groups of patients, particularly those with angina or heart failure."