PATIENTS brought to Princess Alexandra Hospital's accident and emergency department in Harlow will be seen more quickly thanks to a range of new initiatives.

The improvements are the result of a partnership between the accident and emergency team and expert members of the National Patient Access Team (NPAT), who have been looking at ways of streamlining treatment.

The NPAT is a team of experts from other hospitals who look at ways of making services more patient-friendly, a hospital spokesman said.

Funding of £131,000 was secured for the project after the hospital's bid was supported by the NPAT.

Over the next few weeks two fully-equipped beds will be set up in the coronary care unit.

At a total cost of £59,000 they will be used to stabilize patients who have suffered a suspected heart attack.

A new minor injuries treatment area costing £24,000 will be provided in the accident and emergency department and a new specialist mobile blood testing kit will be installed at a cost of £48,000 allowing on-the-spot analysis of blood samples.

Trust chief executive Gary Belfield added: "The NPAT team have been invaluable in offering expert advice on how we can make our service more accessible for patients coming into the accident and emergency department."