HEART failure patients in Worcestershire are set to benefit from new specialist nurses thanks to a £9m Lottery grant.

The cash has meant the national charity the British Heart Foundation (BHF) has been able to launch a new specialist nurse network and a dedicated website for patients, their families and carers.

The charity will fund three heart failure nurses in Worcestershire as part of this specialist network that will see 76 new BHF-funded nurses across the country.

The nurses, who will be administered by South Worcestershire Primary Care Trust, will receive intensive training to enable them to deliver care and advice tailored especially for patients.

The Trust's Director of Public Health Dr Tim Davies, said: "We are delighted to have been successful in obtaining funding for specialist nurses for patients with heart failure which is the result of a lot of joint work between Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust and ourselves.

"This is a much-needed development in the services we can provide for patients with the condition.

"These specialist nurses will form an important link between cardiologists in hospital and primary care and will contribute to an overall improvement in the standard of care for people with heart failure."

The condition affects around 650,000 people in the UK and is estimated to cost the NHS around £625m a year.

It occurs when heart muscle becomes damaged and is less efficient at pumping blood around the body, often following a heart attack.

Specialist care from a heart failure nurse has been shown to reduce hospital admissions, increase quality of life and encourage patients to manage their own medication.

However, few heart patients currently have access to the service.

Complementing the nurse network, the BHF has joined forces with the charity DIPEx, to launch an innovative online service to help those affected by the condition.

The web-site - www. dipex.org - will feature more than 40 patients' stories and detailed information about the treatment of heart failure, as well as the emotional and physical problems that patients experienced.