SPECIALIST nurses are being taken on to help tackle Sunderland's poor record on heart disease.

Three coronary heart disease nurses, who will begin work next month, will work directly with local GPs and health centres to help rehabilitate patients with heart problems and work on initiatives to reduce heart disease and prevent problems in high-risk patients.

As well as providing clinical help, they will work on education, training and best practice schemes to help the city meet targets for reducing heart disease set under the Government's National Service Framework.

Sunderland has a heart disease death rate well above the national average. Certain areas have particular problems and each of the city's three primary care groups will have a nurse.

Jane Mulholland, coronary prevention nurse specialist for Priority Healthcare Wearside, will supervise the nurses.

She said: "The National Service Framework lays down a ten-year plan for improving primary and secondary prevention of coronary heart disease to help ensure that there are no regional differences in the quality of care provided.

"The new nursing appointments represent one of the first local stages in this process and will have a major impact on individuals and the general public in helping Sunderland move towards its targets."

Sue Lothian, chief executive of Sunderland South Primary Care Group, said: "The availability of additional nursing staff will benefit everyone by putting specialist skills and expertise at their doctor's disposal.

"By serving dedicated areas the nurses will also be capable of responding to the specific heart disease needs of their local communities.