HEART attack sufferers arriving at a Bath hospital are getting clot-busting treatment faster than the national target, new figures show.

Clot-busting drugs were given to 85 per cent of eligible patients within half an hour of arriving at the Royal United Hospital, figures published by the Myocardial Infarction National Audit last week show.

This was higher than the 75 per cent target and 20 per cent better than last year.

A patient's chance of survival is much greater if they get the drugs quickly. Even a few minutes can make all the difference.

Last year a new emergency department was opened at the hospital, which has better facilities for patients with heart problems.

Dr Dominic Williamson, consultant in emergency medicine at the RUH said: "Today's figures show that after a great deal of hard work by dedicated staff both at the RUH and in the wider health community we have not only improved but actually exceeded the national targets."

But he said there was still more work to do to speed up the time taken for patients to get to hospital and receive treatment.

In the future the hospital hopes to be able to deliver clot-busting treatments in the ambulance on the way to hospital.