Our Hospital at a Glance 

Liverpool Heart and Chest Hospital NHS Foundation Trust was formed in April 1991, as part of the first wave of NHS Trusts.  Since that time the Trust has developed into one of the largest specialist heart and chest hospitals in the U.K. establishing itself along the way as a renowned provider of cardiothoracic services.  

Patient care and dignity has always been a top priority for the hospital and the efforts of our staff are positively reflected in the excellent results that are published annually.

For the third year in succession our Trust has been named one of the top performing hospitals in the country for “overall patient care” according to the Care Quality Commission's National Inpatient Survey.

The Trust provides specialist services across the North West of England, including North Wales and the Isle of Man.    There are five areas of clinical expertise that we offer to our patients.   They are:-

• Cardiac surgery      
• Thoracic surgery
• Cardiology                                           
  
• Respiratory medicine (incl. adult cystic fibrosis)
• Upper Gastrointestinal Surgery

The Trust shares the Broadgreen site with three other Trusts namely, The Royal Liverpool Broadgreen University Hospitals NHS Trust (RLBUHT), Mersey Care NHS Trust and Liverpool Primary Care Trust.  Some clinical support services are shared with RLBUHT e.g. Radiology and Pharmacy but these services are managed by this Trust.

Wards at the hospital are divided into surgical, medical and monitoring wards to complement the services we provide.    In addition and, as part of our expansion plans, a unique critical care unit was opened in 2006 which is one of the largest of its kind in Europe with over 40 beds.   

A major site development scheme was completed three years ago, which has improved both the environment and facilities at the hospital.    The Robert Owen House, which provides accommodation for patients’ relatives on site, has also been extended.    

The Trust's reputation continues to gain prominence nationally enabling us to attract and retain a wide range of experienced and highly skilled professional staff.   Currently over 1,300 staff are employed at the hospital.  

Volunteers continue to help and support the hospital in many ways and in December 2009 the 9^th Annual Volunteers Day was held to celebrate and acknowledge the tireless work and contribution that volunteers bring to our hospital on a daily basis.    

Financially, the hospital has remained within budget achieving all its financial goals – a situation which has remained unchanged for the past eighteen years.   

One of our key challenges for 2009 was to become an NHS Foundation Trust Hospital.  We are delighted to report that on the 1st December 2009 Liverpool Heart and Chest Hospital was authorised by Monitor, the independent regulator, to become an NHS Foundation Trust.