Although we work closely with the local Health Authority, the North Staffordshire NHS Trust, Combined Healthcare NHS Trust, the Staffordshire Ambulance NHS Trust and others, we do not transfer funds to them. Instead, we provide additional equipment, services and facilities to improve patient care.

We support pure medical research with both finance and equipment. Many of the resulting research papers have been published nationally and internationally in the medical press.

Diagnosis and treatment equipment has been supplied to the Department of Cardiology and Rehabilitation Gymnasium at the City General Hospital in addition to highly advanced equipment supplied to the Cardiothoracic Surgery Department at the Royal Infirmary. Due to our continued support in providing the best and latest cardiac care equipment, the North Staffordshire Hospital, is probably one of the best equipped cardiac centres in the Midlands and deals with patients not only from North Staffordshire but all the surrounding counties.

As technical advances in diagnosis and treatment continue, we have endeavoured to ensure that the University Hospital of North Staffordshire departments of Cardiology, Cardiothoracic Surgery and Post Cardiac Treatment and Rehabilitation continue to remain 'Centres of Excellence'.

The UHNS Trust now has one of the largest cardiac departments in the country. We have provided equipment and services to the tune of £190,000 for a third procedure laboratory costing over £500,000 which was opened in July 2009. Each year approximately 5,500 patient procedures are carried out in the diagnostic department, 1000 in cardiothoracic surgery and 16,000 patients pass though the cardiac outpatient department. These include many from Shropshire, Cheshire, Derbyshire, Warwickshire and from other parts of the country.

Patient Care and Welfare is one of our primary objectives and we supply booklets which are written by our medical consultant members and their staff. The subjects covered are 'Advice After a Heart Attack' (also published in Punjabi and Urdu), 'Advice after Cardiac Surgery, and 'How to Stop Smoking'. These are given to patients on discharge after treatment. The most recent publication entitled 'Preventing Coronary Heart Disease' is a booklet for health professionals and people from the Indian sub-continent.