Lives could be saved in Bradford thanks to a £351,000 Government cash boost which will bring faster treatment for heart patients.

The city's Bradford Royal Infirmary has been chosen to pilot an initiative to guarantee swift tests and treatment for people with chest pain.

Currently, Bradford is one of the heart attack capitals of Britain with 1,500 people admitted to hospital with the life-endangering complaint every year.

The high incidence of heart disease in Bradford is thought to be linked to deprivation and poor diet. Now the cash boost - announced by Health Secretary Alan Milburn in his speech to the Labour Party conference yesterday - will enable the setting up of a Rapid Access Chest Pain Clinic at Bradford Royal Infirmary.

Consultant Cardiologist Dr Steven Lindsay said he believed lives would be saved thanks to the new clinic, which is expected to be up and running by next March.

A new nurse specialist, cardiologist and clerical staff will be taken on to run the clinic from BRI.

At the moment, patients who complain of chest pain to their GP face a wait of several weeks or even several months, before they are assessed by a specialist.

"With the new clinic, we hope to call these patients in within 24 or 48 hours - and certainly within two weeks at the most, if we find we are swamped," Dr Lindsay said.

He said there is evidence that the period immediately following the development of chest pain was the danger time, with patients at higher risk of having a heart attack.

By getting early treatment to the patient, fatal heart attacks could be avoided and cases of angina (narrowing of arteries) could be stabilised with drugs and lifestyle changes.

The clinic will be a 'one stop shop' for heart patients where they can be seen by a doctor and undergo ECG, blood and exercise tests, all in one appointment.

The Bradford clinic will be one of 84 nationwide being set up in the first wave of the scheme.

Gerry Sutcliffe, MP for Bradford, said: "I'd welcome this - here in Bradford we have pioneered a number of health initiatives such as Health Action Zone and primary care trusts. These new clinics will be ideal. We have been awarded this money because the Government knows we can deliver the goods."