A CONTRACT has been awarded for a £13m facility aimed at cutting waiting times for heart patients in the region.

Mowlem Health Solutions and Crown House Engineering have secured the work at South Cleveland Hospital, in Middlesbrough.

The cardiothoracic unit will comprise an operating theatre, 50-bed ward, six high-dependency beds and four intensive care beds.

Existing structures will be demolished and a two-storey disablement services centre and three-storey medical and administration offices will also be built.

The project follows on from work already being carried out on a £160m, 1,000 bed redevelopment at the hospital.

A spokesman for Mowlem said: "The expansion will enable doctors to make huge inroads into tackling waiting times for urgent and high risk cases.

"Work on the units, which are due to be fully open in 2003, will start immediately and fall in with the trust's 'single site' development already under way."

The maintenance, cleaning and security of the new buildings will be looked after by Mowlem's subsidiary, the Aqumen Group through its Sovereign Hospital Services