VITAL equipment worth over £100,000 is being provided for Inverclyde Royal Hospital patients thanks to profits from its popular charity tea bar.

The investment includes two high-tech machines costing £20,000 each which can speed up treatment for people with arthritis.

Over £100,000 has been raised in the last couple of months by Inverclyde’s League of Hospital Friends, whose dedicated volunteers operate the tea bar and provide a hospital transport service.

The League regularly donates funds to help buy equipment not provided in the hospital’s budget.

It has now presented two ‘musculoskeletal ultrasound’ machines to the rheumatology department to assist in the early detection of rheumatoid arthritis, monitoring disease activity and targeting joint injections.

One of the department’s consultants, Dr Lisa Hutton, said it is unusual for a hospital of IRH’s size to have access to such equipment.

She said: “We’re very happy to have this donation. This machine is extremely useful at identifying inflammation.

“It enables patients to see inflammation on the screen, is the most sensitive way of detecting early arthritis and means you don’t have to wait for an MRI scan.” The League has donated more than £1 million to Inverclyde hospitals since it started 40 years ago — an average of around £100,000 to £150,000 a year.

The charity cafe was put under threat by health board bosses a few years ago but was saved after a massive community campaign was launched by the Telegraph and successfully forced a u-turn.

League chairperson, Peter Hempsey, says the group is absolutely delighted to help IRH improve the standard of care for patients.

He said: “We are always open to applications for support, and the last three months has seen a fantastic level of new applications.

“We’re particularly pleased that they have come from departments and wards right across the hospital.

“Awards like this simply couldn’t happen if it wasn’t for our team of volunteers and, of course, the staff and visitors at IRH who support us.” The latest round of donations goes to 11 IRH departments and wards.

Other items purchased include specialist chairs and hoists, blood pressure monitors, activity loop and pathfinder wall panels, TVs and visitor chairs, ‘hover mattresses’ and bilateral video goggles and eye test equipment.