NEW equipment at the Orthapaedic Hospital is set to help patients with neuromuscular problems.

The League of Friends at the Robert Jones and Agnes Hunt Orthopaedic Hospital (RJAH) have bought cardiac monitors worth more than £7,500.

The devices will help to reduce the number of visits patients will have to make to the hospital, as they would previously have had to come into hospital again if their heart needed to be monitored over a 24-hour period.

Victoria Sugden, the league’s charity director, said: “We’re delighted to have supported the purchase of these important pieces of equipment that makes it easier for the team at RJAH to care for and monitor patients with long term requirements.”

The Neuromuscular department at the Oswestry hospital is one of 10 in the UK which offers specialist advice and follow-ups for both adult and paediatric patients with inherited neuromuscular disorders.

In 2016 the team received the Muscle Centre Award for Clinical Excellence for the quality of care and research facilities at RJAH.

The department welcomes visiting consultant cardiologists from Stoke, Birmingham and Shrewsbury and Telford hospitals.

Service manager Lynne Morris said: "I’d like to thank the League of Friends for supporting the purchase of the new heart monitors, which will benefit patients and their relatives, who will be required to make one less trip into hospital than usual.”

Dr Tracey Willis, lead consultant for neuromuscular services, added: “We are so grateful to the League of Friends for supporting us and our patients as this will help to lessen the burden of clinical visits and help us to run one stop shop appointments.”